JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 48.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 819,506 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 783,502 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 1.22% of MKS Instruments worth $89,088,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 53.7% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. BOKF NA purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 62.6% during the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. This represents a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, 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. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup cut MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on 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. Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Five investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.00.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of MKS Instruments stock opened at $106.02 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.14 billion, a PE ratio of 235.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. The business has a 50 day moving average of $109.07 and a 200 day moving average of $114.71. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.71 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

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

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 195.56%.

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.