Legal & General Group Plc Sells 6,883 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Legal & General Group Plc decreased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 104,642 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 6,883 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.16% of MKS Instruments worth $10,924,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth about $97,494,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth approximately $85,451,000. Barclays PLC raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 108.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 530,620 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during 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 purchasing an additional 292,226 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,312,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity 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 shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, 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. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 5.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $63.69 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $4.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.75, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $85.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.21.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.