MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Acquired by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,837 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 197 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $3,069,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,853,896 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $593,136,000 after purchasing an additional 187,884 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $21,052,000. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 2,071.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 880,884 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $90,432,000 after acquiring an additional 840,322 shares during the period. Tributary Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,402 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 41.1% in the third quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 134,735 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $11,660,000 after acquiring an additional 39,255 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.00, for a total value of $33,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 16,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,242,646. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.00, for a total transaction of $33,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 16,862 shares in the company, valued at $2,242,646. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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 transaction of $910,737.79. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,999 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,284,147.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,776 shares of company stock valued at $6,226,307 in the last ninety days. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 3.9 %

MKS Instruments stock opened at $120.75 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $123.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $102.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 3.18 and a quick ratio of 2.01. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $63.44 and a 1 year high of $135.51.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $893.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $845.25 million. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 50.80% and a positive return on equity of 9.95%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.00 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -3.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MKSI. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com raised MKS Instruments from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. TheStreet upgraded MKS Instruments from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Benchmark lifted 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, Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.75.

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.