Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 766.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 111,946 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 99,025 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.17% of MKS Instruments worth $11,686,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Graham Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 39.0% in the 4th quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 9,110 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $951,000 after purchasing an additional 2,558 shares in the last quarter. Ellevest Inc. lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 8,633 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $901,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 16,667 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,740,000 after purchasing an additional 6,779 shares in the last quarter. Expect Equity LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,422,000. Finally, Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 363,428 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $37,938,000 after purchasing an additional 5,606 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments
In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
MKS Instruments Trading Down 0.6%
NASDAQ MKSI traded down $0.53 on Friday, reaching $90.66. The stock had a trading volume of 655,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,055,966. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. 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 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $76.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.81.
MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. The company 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.18 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.
MKS Instruments Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is 26.27%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research analysts have weighed in on MKSI shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark reduced 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 report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $135.17.
Read Our Latest Report on MKS Instruments
About MKS Instruments
(
Free Report)
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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