Retirement Systems of Alabama Has $17.16 Million Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 157,839 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,779 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned about 0.23% of MKS Instruments worth $17,159,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 196.9% in the 3rd 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 period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 122 shares during the period. Key Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. BOKF NA acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth $39,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 0.3 %

MKSI stock opened at $112.55 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 250.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a 50-day moving average of $108.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $116.95. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.90 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21.

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

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 195.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the sale, 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 have sold 825 shares of company stock worth $92,853 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.42.

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.