Blue Grotto Capital LLC Cuts Stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Blue Grotto Capital LLC lessened its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 85,994 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 14,007 shares during the quarter. MKS Instruments accounts for 1.6% of Blue Grotto Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Blue Grotto Capital LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $8,977,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $265,874,000 after buying an additional 237,979 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew 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 worth $31,391,000 after acquiring an additional 292,226 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its stake in 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 worth $3,650,000 after purchasing an additional 7,136 shares during the period. Tributary Capital Management LLC increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 65.0% in the 4th quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 8,751 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $914,000 after purchasing an additional 3,447 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $12,058,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $90.21 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19. The company has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.22, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $101.30 and a 200 day moving average of $105.94. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $76.37 and a one year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on MKSI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Benchmark decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.