ABLE Financial Group LLC Takes $1.67 Million Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

ABLE Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 15,991 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $1,669,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 24,900.0% during the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 498 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP grew its position in MKS Instruments by 1,330.9% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 787 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MKSI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Benchmark cut their price target on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.92.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $85.40. 682,098 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,056,241. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $95.81. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share 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 net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. MKS Instruments's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.18 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, 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 sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.