Prudential Financial Inc. Buys 54,406 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Prudential Financial Inc. raised its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 772.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,447 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 54,406 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned 0.09% of MKS Instruments worth $6,481,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $265,874,000 after acquiring an additional 237,979 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,391,000 after purchasing an additional 292,226 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $3,650,000 after purchasing an additional 7,136 shares in the last quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 65.0% in the 4th quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 8,751 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $914,000 after buying an additional 3,447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth $12,058,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 3.8 %

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $81.59 on Monday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.37 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $99.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $105.45.

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

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on MKSI. Citigroup upgraded 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business’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 transaction, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.