JPMorgan Chase & Co. Sells 367,299 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 44.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 452,207 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 367,299 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 0.67% of MKS Instruments worth $47,206,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,952,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,068 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,950 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

MKS Instruments Trading Down 6.2 %

MKSI stock opened at $60.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $94.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.21. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released 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%. Analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.43%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business’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 sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.