Capital International Investors Decreases Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Capital International Investors decreased its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,097,676 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 62,713 shares during the quarter. Capital International Investors owned about 4.60% of MKS Instruments worth $323,366,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake 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 worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the fourth 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. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments 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 completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI stock traded up $6.42 during trading on Thursday, reaching $74.33. 555,420 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,026,552. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $5.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.54, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The firm's 50-day moving average is $81.15 and its 200 day moving average is $99.76.

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 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on 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 equities 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.