MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by Hudson Value Partners LLC

Hudson Value Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 82.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,169 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 19,102 shares during the period. Hudson Value Partners LLC's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $435,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,445,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $777,283,000 after buying an additional 97,392 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,088,283 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $322,386,000 after buying an additional 35,256 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,291,478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $239,207,000 after buying an additional 6,715 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,231,467 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $232,943,000 after buying an additional 6,964 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of 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 valued at $110,789,000 after buying an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MKSI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Benchmark cut their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $134.92.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 4.3%

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded up $3.63 on Tuesday, reaching $87.45. The company had a trading volume of 1,141,278 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,317,215. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $76.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $95.95. The firm has a market cap of $5.90 billion, a PE ratio of 31.23, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.84 and a 52-week high of $147.40. 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 (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $913.59 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.18 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

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.