Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD Lowers Stock Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lessened its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 21.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,341,428 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 937,206 shares during the quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned 4.96% of MKS Instruments worth $348,812,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at $97,494,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at $85,451,000. Barclays PLC grew 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 worth $110,789,000 after purchasing an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $31,391,000 after purchasing an additional 292,226 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,312,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI stock traded up $2.39 during trading on Thursday, reaching $72.53. 309,204 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,043,229. 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 stock's 50 day moving average price is $77.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $98.55. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.84 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The company has a market cap of $4.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.10, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81.

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

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is 31.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value 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 trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by 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.