Man Group plc Purchases 23,035 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Man Group plc raised its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 274.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,432 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 23,035 shares during the quarter. Man Group plc's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $3,281,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth about $97,494,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $85,451,000. Barclays PLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at $28,312,000. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 158.5% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 367,437 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $38,357,000 after buying an additional 225,285 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI stock traded down $1.07 on Friday, hitting $83.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 767,566 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,056,483. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $5.65 billion, a PE ratio of 29.94, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The stock's 50 day moving average is $76.58 and its 200-day moving average is $96.36. 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 announced its 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 for 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given 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 1.05%. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is 26.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MKSI. Benchmark lowered their target price 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. 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. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Two 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $134.92.

About MKS Instruments

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.