Nomura Holdings Inc. Increases Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Nomura Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 419,347 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 21,256 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc. owned 0.62% of MKS Instruments worth $43,776,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the 4th 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 buying an additional 292,226 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 772.7% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 61,447 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $6,481,000 after purchasing an additional 54,406 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $3,650,000 after purchasing an additional 7,136 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth about $1,480,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth about $85,451,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on MKSI. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Benchmark cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $135.17.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI stock traded down $0.53 during trading on Friday, hitting $90.66. The company had a trading volume of 655,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,053,582. The firm has a market cap of $6.11 billion, a PE ratio of 32.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.84 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $76.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.85. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. The firm had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $913.59 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.18 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business's 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 sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About MKS Instruments

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.