Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Has $451,000 Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC cut its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 11.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,320 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 533 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $451,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,601 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,952,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,258.2% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 39,123 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $4,148,000 after acquiring an additional 37,958 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in MKS Instruments by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 186,329 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $19,451,000 after purchasing an additional 1,534 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on MKS Instruments from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Benchmark reduced their price target on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.64.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI stock opened at $93.75 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.32 billion, a PE ratio of 33.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.84. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $147.40. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $78.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.06. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. The business had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $913.59 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.27%.

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.