MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Acquired by Arizona State Retirement System

Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 17,757 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 648 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $1,827,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,608 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $474,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the period. Mendota Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Washington Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Washington Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,000 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $617,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. raised its position in MKS Instruments by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. now owns 3,760 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $387,000 after purchasing an additional 495 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tributary Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 7,453 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $767,000 after buying an additional 1,402 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 3.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $122.71 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $124.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $100.48. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $63.44 and a twelve month high of $135.51. The company has a current ratio of 3.18, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The company has a market capitalization of $8.23 billion, a PE ratio of -4.45, a P/E/G ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 1.67.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $845.25 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. MKS Instruments’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors 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 yield of 0.72%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently -3.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC upped 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. Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report 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. Finally, TheStreet upgraded MKS Instruments from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total transaction of $30,722.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,161 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,125,795.29. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total transaction of $30,722.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,161 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,125,795.29. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 7,411 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total value of $910,737.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,999 shares in the company, valued at $5,284,147.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 60,776 shares of company stock worth $7,326,307. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.