Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Has $10.42 Million Stock Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. trimmed its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 69.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 99,808 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 224,420 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. owned about 0.15% of MKS Instruments worth $10,419,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 9,748 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,018,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,952,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,068 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $216,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MKSI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Benchmark dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $135.17.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 0.3%

NASDAQ:MKSI traded down $0.31 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $93.01. The stock had a trading volume of 335,692 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,068,139. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19. The company has a market cap of $6.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The business's 50 day moving average is $75.79 and its 200-day moving average is $97.05.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.27%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MKS Instruments Company Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc provides foundational technology solutions to semiconductor manufacturing, electronics and packaging, and specialty industrial applications in the United States, Germany, China, South Korea, and internationally. It operates through Vacuum Solutions Division (VSD), Photonics Solutions Division (PSD), and Material Solutions Division (MSD) segments.