MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Purchased by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 16.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,921 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 1,827 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $1,687,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 5.9% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,659 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $217,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 62.6% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. Verity Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. Verity Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,085 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in MKS Instruments by 23.0% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 937 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $122,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.4% during the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 46,864 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $6,119,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total value of $30,865.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,300,404.18. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total value of $30,865.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,300,404.18. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,543.23. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,575 shares of company stock worth $303,660 in the last quarter. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI opened at $112.63 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a current ratio of 3.58. The company has a market cap of $7.55 billion, a PE ratio of -4.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.63. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $111.32 and a 200-day moving average of $121.70. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $63.44 and a 52-week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $866.38 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is -3.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on MKSI shares. Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price target on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Company 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.