Granite Investment Partners LLC Sells 34,200 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Granite Investment Partners LLC cut its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 50.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,126 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 34,200 shares during the quarter. Granite Investment Partners LLC owned 0.05% of MKS Instruments worth $4,456,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth $209,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at about $373,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at about $117,672,000. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 92.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 229,385 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $23,597,000 after purchasing an additional 110,427 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $403,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares in the company, valued at $1,543.23. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13 shares in the company, valued at $1,543.23. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,079,805.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,325 shares of company stock worth $276,435. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MKSI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, August 5th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $142.00.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 3.7 %

MKSI opened at $109.88 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $117.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $123.90. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $63.44 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The company has a market cap of $7.37 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a current ratio of 3.58, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.51. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 0.25%. The business had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $866.38 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3.30%.

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.