Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Increases Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 46.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 626,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 199,795 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 0.93% of MKS Instruments worth $65,365,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MKSI. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $265,874,000 after purchasing an additional 237,979 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $31,391,000 after buying an additional 292,226 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 772.7% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 61,447 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $6,481,000 after acquiring an additional 54,406 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,650,000 after acquiring an additional 7,136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,480,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ:MKSI traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $72.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 128,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,051,798. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.63. 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 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.81, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. Research analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark decreased their price objective on shares of 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, Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

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

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.