Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 45,397 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 18.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 204,268 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 45,397 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.30% of MKS Instruments worth $21,324,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $48,303,000 after purchasing an additional 30,216 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $265,874,000 after buying an additional 237,979 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 292,226 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,650,000 after acquiring an additional 7,136 shares during the period. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter worth $868,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $90.57 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $102.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $106.40. The stock has a market cap of $6.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.35, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.37 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders 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 0.97%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC lowered 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 note 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 research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Benchmark lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three investment 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.08.

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.