MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Purchased by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 8,326.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 95,298 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 94,167 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.14% of MKS Instruments worth $7,638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 24,900.0% in the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 1,330.9% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 787 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 732 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on MKSI shares. 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 research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised 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, May 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered 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. Two equities 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $134.92.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $93.75. The company had a trading volume of 937,903 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,056,311. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04. The company's 50-day moving average is $77.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.22. The company has a market cap of $6.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.84. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. The company had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.18 earnings per share. MKS Instruments's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

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.