Empowered Funds LLC Boosts Stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,326 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $253,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc purchased a new position in MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. BOKF NA bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth about $39,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI stock opened at $116.49 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $77.25 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The company has a market cap of $7.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 258.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $107.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $118.34.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.22 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 195.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,079,805.98. This represents a 1.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Citigroup lowered MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.09.

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.