Xponance Inc. Purchases 592 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Xponance Inc. raised its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 7.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,286 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 592 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $865,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at about $281,000. Globeflex Capital L P increased its position in MKS Instruments by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Globeflex Capital L P now owns 28,638 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,990,000 after purchasing an additional 3,367 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 208.9% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 283,243 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $29,568,000 after purchasing an additional 191,561 shares during the last quarter. Hilton Capital Management LLC boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Hilton Capital Management LLC now owns 17,873 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,866,000 after buying an additional 834 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 24.9% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 6,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $630,000 after buying an additional 1,205 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI stock opened at $91.45 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $6.16 billion, a PE ratio of 32.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $101.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $106.04. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.37 and a 1-year high of $147.40.

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

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given 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 0.96%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 31.43%.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MKSI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup raised shares of 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.08.

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.