New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 2,500 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

New York State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 65,286 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 2,500 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.10% of MKS Instruments worth $6,815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $265,874,000 after purchasing an additional 237,979 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,954,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $212,515,000 after purchasing an additional 65,200 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 4.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,172,517 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $127,496,000 after purchasing an additional 51,519 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $110,789,000 after purchasing an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $72,120,000 after purchasing an additional 45,862 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $106.82 on Thursday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $97.54 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $110.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.19 billion, a PE ratio of 38.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. On average, equities analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 7.37 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 31.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MKSI. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.08.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,575 shares of company stock worth $901,868. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

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.