Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Sells 3,030 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC cut its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 13.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,340 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 3,030 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $1,990,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,902.1% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 7,724 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $795,000 after buying an additional 7,531 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 17,757 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,827,000 after buying an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,608 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $474,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Washington Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 valued at $617,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $1,100,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 78,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,581,870. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 32,865 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.28, for a total value of $4,051,597.20. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 1 shares in the company, valued at approximately $123.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $1,100,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 78,017 shares in the company, valued at $8,581,870. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 60,776 shares of company stock worth $7,326,307 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Benchmark increased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.00.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 3.6 %

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $122.71 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $124.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.60. 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 stock has a market cap of $8.23 billion, a PE ratio of -4.45, a PEG ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 1.67. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $63.44 and a 12 month high of $135.51.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $893.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $845.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is -3.19%.

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.