Raymond James Trust N.A. Sells 196 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Raymond James Trust N.A. lowered its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 8.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,140 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 196 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $279,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 3,902.1% in the fourth 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 acquiring an additional 7,531 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Truist Financial Corp increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 5,139 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $529,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 30.2% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 40,747 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $4,192,000 after acquiring an additional 9,454 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,490,779 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $461,966,000 after acquiring an additional 581,453 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total value of $213,678.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,543.23. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total value of $30,865.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,300,404.18. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,543.23. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,325 shares of company stock valued at $280,131 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $146.63.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKS Instruments stock opened at $116.25 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $124.67 and a 200-day moving average of $125.17. The firm has a market cap of $7.80 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.65. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $63.44 and a 1-year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.51. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 48.24% and a positive return on equity of 13.90%. The company had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $866.38 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. MKS Instruments’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently -3.30%.

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.