AQR Capital Management LLC Acquires 14,729 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 75.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,330 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,729 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.05% of MKS Instruments worth $4,483,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 1st quarter valued at about $918,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 78,093 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $10,387,000 after purchasing an additional 5,184 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,892,941 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $709,077,000 after purchasing an additional 39,045 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 29.5% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 111,923 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $14,886,000 after purchasing an additional 25,520 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 141,187 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $18,436,000 after buying an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $105.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.58 and a quick ratio of 2.31. The firm has a market cap of $7.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $112.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.54. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $63.44 and a one year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.51. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.25% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The company had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $866.38 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. MKS Instruments’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.6 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total transaction of $30,865.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,300,404.18. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total transaction of $30,865.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,300,404.18. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at $2,079,805.98. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,575 shares of company stock valued at $303,660 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Bank of America initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.09.

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.