MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Acquired by Ethic Inc.

Ethic Inc. raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 68.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,667 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 6,779 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $1,740,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Expect Equity LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,422,000. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC grew its position in MKS Instruments by 1.6% during 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. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 158.5% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 367,437 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $38,357,000 after purchasing an additional 225,285 shares during the period. Concentric Capital Strategies LP purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at $8,877,000. Finally, Crestline Management LP boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 85.1% in the fourth quarter. Crestline Management LP now owns 78,938 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $8,240,000 after buying an additional 36,287 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on MKSI. Benchmark dropped their price objective 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. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Needham & Company LLC reduced 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. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $135.17.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 13.4%

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $90.75 on Tuesday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The stock has a market cap of $6.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.41, 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. The company's fifty day moving average is $75.57 and its 200-day moving average is $97.07.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. The business had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.18 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is currently 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.

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