Wellington Management Group LLP Decreases Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Wellington Management Group LLP decreased its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 35.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,284,763 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 1,257,169 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP owned approximately 3.39% of MKS Instruments worth $248,377,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Shellback Capital LP purchased a new position in MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,541,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 219.5% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 348,024 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,445,000 after purchasing an additional 239,099 shares in the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the third quarter worth $21,690,000. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments during the second quarter valued at $23,171,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 239.2% during the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 247,695 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $32,344,000 after purchasing an additional 174,675 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MKSI. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Citigroup lowered shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKS Instruments stock opened at $114.60 on Monday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $81.04 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $7.71 billion, a PE ratio of 254.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $107.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $117.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The business’s revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.77%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 195.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.