Pinebridge Investments L.P. Has $4.04 Million Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Pinebridge Investments L.P. boosted its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 91.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,669 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 18,451 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments L.P. owned about 0.06% of MKS Instruments worth $4,037,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in 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 worth $110,789,000 after purchasing an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the third quarter valued at $763,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the third quarter valued at $50,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 65.7% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 31,849 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,462,000 after purchasing an additional 12,628 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 26.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 23,311 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,846 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark lowered their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded up $2.39 on Thursday, hitting $72.53. 309,204 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,043,229. The company's 50 day moving average price is $77.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.55. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $147.40. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $4.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.10, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. Research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.43%.

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.