2,823 Shares in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Purchased by Oak Thistle LLC

Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,823 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $295,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 53.7% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the third quarter valued at $50,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on MKSI. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Mizuho raised MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Four 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing 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 dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $120.11 on Friday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $97.54 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $110.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 266.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.66. 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 (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The business had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 195.56%.

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.