Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Purchases New Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 24,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $2,578,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth approximately $97,494,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth approximately $85,451,000. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 108.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $110,789,000 after buying an additional 530,620 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 292,226 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at $28,312,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 value of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI traded down $0.10 on Monday, reaching $73.98. The company had a trading volume of 1,052,576 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,036,277. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.99 billion, a PE ratio of 26.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. 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 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $79.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. As a group, research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is 31.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Benchmark lowered their target price 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 upped their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.08.

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.