MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 45.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 141,038 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 119,269 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.21% of MKS Instruments worth $14,509,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Mendota Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth $56,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 22.1% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 928 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the third quarter valued at about $131,000. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at about $138,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Needham & Company LLC raised 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. KeyCorp raised 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. Benchmark raised 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.75.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 3.4 %

Shares of MKSI stock traded down $4.14 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $118.98. 422,281 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 633,947. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.98 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.67. 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $123.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $103.14. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $63.44 and a 52-week high of $135.51.

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. The firm had revenue of $893.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $845.25 million. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 50.80% and a positive return on equity of 9.95%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.00 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3.19%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.00, for a total value of $33,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 16,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,242,646. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.00, for a total value of $33,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 16,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,242,646. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 32,865 shares of MKS Instruments 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 sale, 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 50,776 shares of company stock worth $6,226,307. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

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.