Blue Grotto Capital LLC Sells 14,007 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Blue Grotto Capital LLC lowered its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 14.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor 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 largest holding. Blue Grotto Capital LLC owned 0.13% of MKS Instruments worth $8,977,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $265,874,000 after acquiring an additional 237,979 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% in 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 purchasing an additional 292,226 shares in 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 valued at $3,650,000 after buying an additional 7,136 shares during the last quarter. 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 valued at $914,000 after buying an additional 3,447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth approximately $12,058,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $90.21 on Wednesday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.37 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $101.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $105.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04. The stock 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.

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

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on MKSI shares. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted 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 reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.08.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction 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. The trade was a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the 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 directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

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.