Royce & Associates LP Decreases Stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Royce & Associates LP decreased its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 4.6% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 763,394 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 37,017 shares during the period. MKS Instruments comprises about 0.8% of Royce & Associates LP’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Royce & Associates LP’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $82,989,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 196.9% in the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in MKS Instruments by 53.7% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Key Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, BOKF NA purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth about $39,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at $2,079,805.98. The trade was a 1.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on MKSI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Citigroup lowered MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $112.92 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a PE ratio of 250.93, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $106.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.93. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.07 and a twelve month high of $147.40.

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

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

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

About MKS Instruments

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.