Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Decreases Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P reduced its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 287,574 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 8,077 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $30,020,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MKSI. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $949,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 7.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $72,120,000 after acquiring an additional 45,862 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the third quarter worth approximately $827,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the third quarter worth $291,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its position in MKS Instruments by 174.7% in the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 75,000 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $8,153,000 after purchasing an additional 47,700 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company 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 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Benchmark cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.08.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $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. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $84.82 on Friday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.37 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.72 billion, a PE ratio of 30.29, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $105.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

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.