Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Boosts Stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 3,258.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 39,123 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,958 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned 0.06% of MKS Instruments worth $4,148,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 10.4% during 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 raised 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 acquiring an additional 65,200 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 51,519 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised 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 acquiring an additional 45,862 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark cut their price target on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.08.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,575 shares of company stock valued at $901,868 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI stock opened at $107.85 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $110.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $110.07. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $97.54 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The company has a market cap of $7.26 billion, a PE ratio of 38.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. As a group, research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 7.05 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 31.43%.

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.