PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Sells 736 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. trimmed its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,993 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 736 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $834,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $110,789,000 after purchasing an additional 530,620 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $31,391,000 after buying an additional 292,226 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,312,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $265,874,000 after buying an additional 237,979 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 1,308.1% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 172,382 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $18,740,000 after acquiring an additional 160,140 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MKSI. Benchmark dropped their price target 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 3.0 %

MKS Instruments stock opened at $88.91 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.99 billion, a PE ratio of 31.75, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.37 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $103.81 and its 200 day moving average is $106.84. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

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

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is 31.43%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

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.