Citigroup Inc. Has $7.42 Million Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 23.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 83,739 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,664 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.13% of MKS Instruments worth $7,421,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Scotia Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 6,009 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $509,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc RI grew its position in MKS Instruments by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc RI now owns 4,021 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 75.3% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 59,846 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $5,071,000 after purchasing an additional 25,707 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,840,439 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $325,636,000 after buying an additional 420,112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the first quarter valued at $1,063,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on MKSI. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 14th. Benchmark lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $105.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $113.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS Instruments news, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 11,563 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.23, for a total transaction of $1,170,522.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,326,367.74. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other MKS Instruments news, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 11,563 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.23, for a total transaction of $1,170,522.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,738 shares in the company, valued at $4,326,367.74. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.49, for a total transaction of $27,122.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,612 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,910,725.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,063 shares of company stock valued at $1,221,457. 0.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 1.6 %

MKSI stock opened at $100.23 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.70 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.82 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a current ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $102.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.47. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.77 and a 1-year high of $114.15.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.21. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 45.65% and a positive return on equity of 10.78%. The company had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $983.48 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.59 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 3.72 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently -3.36%.

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, and internationally. It operates through Vacuum Solutions Division, Photonics Solutions Division, and Material Solutions Division.