UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Purchases 44,106 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 20.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 258,251 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 44,106 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.38% of MKS Instruments worth $26,959,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MKSI. Two Sigma Investments LP bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth $4,405,000. Systematic Financial Management LP raised its position in MKS Instruments by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 219,678 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $22,932,000 after acquiring an additional 20,845 shares in the last quarter. Shapiro Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth $48,228,000. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC raised its position in MKS Instruments by 4.7% during the fourth 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 acquiring an additional 11,779 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in MKS Instruments by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 409,341 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $42,730,000 after acquiring an additional 9,341 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI stock traded down $4.04 on Friday, hitting $81.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,084,092 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,054,393. 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 stock's 50 day moving average is $76.01 and its 200-day moving average is $95.28. 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 $5.49 billion, a PE ratio of 29.06, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 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 business had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. MKS Instruments's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.08%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is 26.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on MKSI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Benchmark decreased their price objective 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company 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.