Proficio Capital Partners LLC Makes New $36,000 Investment in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 36,287 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MKSI. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 16,354 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,707,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,088,283 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $322,386,000 after purchasing an additional 35,256 shares during the period. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 36.1% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 4,954 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $517,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 666,403 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $69,566,000 after purchasing an additional 2,989 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 3.8 %

MKSI opened at $81.59 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.37 and a 12 month high of $147.40. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $99.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.49.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.08%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MKSI. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.08.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.