Washington Capital Management Inc. Invests $601,000 in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Washington Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 7,500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $601,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its holdings 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 worth $6,481,000 after acquiring an additional 54,406 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $3,650,000 after acquiring an additional 7,136 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth about $1,480,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth about $85,451,000. Finally, Summit Global Investments acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth about $1,254,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $88.64 on Friday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The company has a 50-day moving average of $76.36 and a 200-day moving average of $94.51. The firm has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.84.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted 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. 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 analyst estimates of $913.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.18 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is 26.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Two equities research 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 company. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.

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