Tidal Investments LLC Sells 12,314 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Tidal Investments LLC lessened its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 38.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor 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 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Systematic Financial Management LP increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 219,678 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $22,932,000 after buying an additional 20,845 shares in the last quarter. Shapiro Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth $48,228,000. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 259,831 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $27,124,000 after buying an additional 11,779 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 409,341 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $42,730,000 after buying an additional 9,341 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 86.5% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 321,542 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $33,566,000 after buying an additional 149,160 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 1.5%

MKSI traded down $1.36 on Wednesday, hitting $86.10. The company had a trading volume of 91,808 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,053,030. The company has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a PE ratio of 30.76, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $76.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.89.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $936.00 million during 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect 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 paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is currently 26.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This trade represents 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 at this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MKSI. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded MKS Instruments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.92.

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.