Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Sells 224,420 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. decreased its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 69.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm 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 approximately 0.15% of MKS Instruments worth $10,419,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $97,494,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $85,451,000. Barclays PLC grew its position in MKS Instruments by 108.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $110,789,000 after acquiring an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $31,391,000 after buying an additional 292,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth $28,312,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

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

MKS Instruments Trading Up 3.7 %

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded up $2.85 during trading on Friday, reaching $80.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,577,384 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,070,903. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.84 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The firm's 50-day moving average is $75.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $97.14. The company has a market cap of $5.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.62, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80.

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

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark decreased their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $135.17.

About MKS Instruments

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.