Weiss Asset Management LP Invests $1.85 Million in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 17,009 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,849,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MKSI. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,954,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $212,515,000 after purchasing an additional 65,200 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $72,120,000 after acquiring an additional 45,862 shares during the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 509,883 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $55,429,000 after acquiring an additional 77,025 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $48,303,000 after acquiring an additional 30,216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.7% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 432,612 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $47,029,000 after purchasing an additional 3,110 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MKSI has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup lowered shares of 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 research report on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho raised MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $114.60 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.71 billion, a PE ratio of 254.67, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.65. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $81.04 and a 12 month high of $147.40. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $107.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.57. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.