MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Acquired by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 3,902.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,724 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 7,531 shares during the quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC's holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $795,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mendota Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in MKS Instruments by 22.1% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 928 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the third quarter valued at approximately $93,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the third quarter valued at approximately $131,000. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.75.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI traded up $1.22 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $113.78. 611,946 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 643,763. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $63.44 and a fifty-two week high of $135.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 1.67. The business's 50 day moving average is $124.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $102.14. The company has a current ratio of 3.18, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $845.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.00 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -3.19%.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 32,865 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.28, for a total transaction of $4,051,597.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 1 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $123.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 32,865 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.28, for a total transaction of $4,051,597.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 1 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $123.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $1,200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 68,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,162,040. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,776 shares of company stock valued at $6,226,307 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

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.