Capstone Investment Advisors LLC Grows Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Capstone Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 48.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,581 shares during the period. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $3,393,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position 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 buying an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded up $1.88 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $74.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,909,696 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,060,658. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $75.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $97.47. 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 company has a market capitalization of $5.03 billion, a PE ratio of 26.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.30. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.18 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders 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 1.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.43%.

Insider Activity

In other MKS Instruments news, 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 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 trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on MKSI shares. Benchmark dropped 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 note on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.08.

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.