Walleye Capital LLC Has $11.76 Million Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Walleye Capital LLC reduced its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 112,650 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 4,792 shares during the period. Walleye Capital LLC owned about 0.17% of MKS Instruments worth $11,760,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $63.72. 1,641,411 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,011,747. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $83.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $100.56. The company has a market cap of $4.30 billion, a PE ratio of 22.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.84 and a 1-year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on MKSI shares. Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark lowered their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.08.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently 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.