MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by Corient Private Wealth LLC

Corient Private Wealth LLC cut its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 16.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 45,285 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 8,672 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $4,727,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in MKS Instruments by 58.0% in 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 purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 2.6 %

MKS Instruments stock opened at $88.17 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $102.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $106.18. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.37 and a twelve month high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted 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 return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. As a group, equities analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus 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.