New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 3,500 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lowered its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,706 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 3,500 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.09% of MKS Instruments worth $6,024,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake 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 valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its position 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 buying an additional 223 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 6.2 %

Shares of MKS Instruments stock opened at $91.17 on Friday. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $109.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $109.75. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $91.07 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $6.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is presently 31.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKSI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Benchmark dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.08.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,575 shares of company stock valued at $901,868 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

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.