MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Bought by Jones Financial Companies Lllp

Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 27.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,794 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 385 shares during the quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $187,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the third quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 63.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 572 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Benchmark decreased their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $86.32 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.37 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $104.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.18. The stock has a market cap of $5.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.76.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

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.