BNP Paribas Financial Markets Purchases 19,244 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 26.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,932 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,244 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.14% of MKS Instruments worth $9,701,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $110,789,000 after purchasing an additional 530,620 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in MKS Instruments by 26.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 23,311 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,626,000 after buying an additional 4,846 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $295,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the fourth 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, Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its position in MKS Instruments by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 246,377 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $25,719,000 after acquiring an additional 46,859 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of MKSI traded down $2.75 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $91.19. 1,132,476 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,059,573. The stock has a market cap of $6.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.57, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $75.97 and a 200-day moving average of $97.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.84 and a 52 week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast 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 issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is currently 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.