Blue Trust Inc. Boosts Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 424.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $45,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in 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 valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 63.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 572 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 46.5% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,131 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $118,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Benchmark dropped 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 report on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective 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. Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, 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, 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,575 shares of company stock valued at $901,868 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 1.2 %

MKSI opened at $97.24 on Thursday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.61 and a 12 month high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $109.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $109.88. The company has a market cap of $6.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

MKS Instruments Company 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.