MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Position Reduced by Tidal Investments LLC

Tidal Investments LLC lowered its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 38.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,535 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 12,314 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $2,039,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 772.7% in the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 61,447 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $6,481,000 after purchasing an additional 54,406 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 worth $3,650,000 after buying an additional 7,136 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth $1,480,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at $85,451,000. Finally, Tributary Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 65.0% in the fourth quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 8,751 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $914,000 after acquiring an additional 3,447 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed 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 boosted their price objective on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $134.92.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded up $3.68 on Tuesday, reaching $87.28. 546,486 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,311,037. The firm has a market cap of $5.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.84 and a 1-year 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. The company's 50-day moving average is $76.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.95.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. The company had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $913.59 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 1.01%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.27%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

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.