MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC trimmed its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 16.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 853,050 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 166,084 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 1.27% of MKS Instruments worth $89,050,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in MKS Instruments during the third quarter worth $50,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI stock traded down $3.89 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $59.83. The company had a trading volume of 270,429 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,008,881. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $83.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $100.56. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The company has a market capitalization of $4.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. On average, research 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 issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.47%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark decreased their price target on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments 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.