Needham Investment Management LLC Raises Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Needham Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 124,500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Needham Investment Management LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $13,534,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Aigen Investment Management LP increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 705.3% during the 3rd quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 12,547 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,364,000 after purchasing an additional 10,989 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 141,187 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $18,436,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,599,000. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 7.3% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $48,303,000 after purchasing an additional 30,216 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 3,928.7% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 76,828 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $10,110,000 after buying an additional 74,921 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of MKSI traded down $0.45 on Tuesday, hitting $117.48. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 62,803 shares, compared to its average volume of 822,246. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21. The company has a market capitalization of $7.91 billion, a PE ratio of 262.07, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.65. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $80.84 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $107.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $117.98.

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

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the business’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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on MKSI. Morgan Stanley began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Mizuho raised MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Citigroup lowered MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company 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 issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.