Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC Invests $281,000 in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,691 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $281,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the third quarter valued at $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MKSI. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 1.3 %

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $87.76 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.91 billion, a PE ratio of 31.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $103.31 and a 200-day moving average of $106.61. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.37 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. Analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.43%.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s 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 directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

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.