Hsbc Holdings PLC Buys Shares of 4,724 MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,724 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $493,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 108.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $110,789,000 after acquiring an additional 530,620 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 26.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 23,311 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $2,626,000 after buying an additional 4,846 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 46.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,131 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 3.7 %

Shares of MKSI stock traded up $2.85 during trading on Friday, reaching $80.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,577,384 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,069,182. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $75.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.17. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $147.40. The company has a market cap of $5.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $913.59 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. MKS Instruments's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark decreased their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $135.17.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other 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 transaction of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments 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.