Geode Capital Management LLC Buys 51,519 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,172,517 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 51,519 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 1.74% of MKS Instruments worth $127,496,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Key Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. BOKF NA purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho raised MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.00.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of MKSI opened at $109.90 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $108.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $116.63. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 244.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $93.88 and a 12-month high of $147.40.

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. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

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 the 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 owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 825 shares of company stock valued at $92,853 in the last ninety days. 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.