MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Acquired by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 49.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,439 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,806 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $2,447,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew 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 worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 498 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 63.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 572 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Benchmark decreased their price target 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. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $135.17.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $90.66 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $6.11 billion, a PE ratio of 32.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The company's 50-day moving average price is $76.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.79. 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 quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The firm 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.18 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.27%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.