The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 50,453 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company cut its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 368,441 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 50,453 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.55% of MKS Instruments worth $40,053,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Shellback Capital LP bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,541,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 219.5% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 348,024 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,445,000 after purchasing an additional 239,099 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $21,690,000. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC bought a new position in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $23,171,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 239.2% in the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 247,695 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $32,344,000 after buying an additional 174,675 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKS Instruments stock opened at $112.36 on Friday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $78.17 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42. The stock has a market cap of $7.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 249.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.63. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $107.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $118.18.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at $2,079,805.98. This represents a 1.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup lowered shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.09.

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.