Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Takes Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 17,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $1,821,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MKSI. Belpointe Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 73.5% during the first quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 295 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth $34,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth $52,000. Finally, Baystate Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at $56,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total value of $30,722.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,161 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,125,795.29. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total value of $30,722.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,161 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,125,795.29. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 32,865 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.28, for a total transaction of $4,051,597.20. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 1 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $123.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 60,776 shares of company stock valued at $7,326,307 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKS Instruments stock traded down $3.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $108.17. 765,012 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 644,071. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $63.44 and a 12-month high of $135.51. The business's 50-day moving average is $124.63 and its 200-day moving average is $101.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 3.18 and a quick ratio of 2.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a PE ratio of -3.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 1.67.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.28. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 50.80% and a positive return on equity of 9.95%. The firm had revenue of $893.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $845.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.00 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is presently -3.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MKSI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TheStreet upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a "d+" rating to a "c-" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. StockNews.com raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Benchmark lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.75.

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.