K2 Principal Fund L.P. Increases Stock Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

K2 Principal Fund L.P. increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 94.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,840 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,740 shares during the period. K2 Principal Fund L.P.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $1,807,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MKSI. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 92.8% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 229,385 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $23,597,000 after acquiring an additional 110,427 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 180,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $18,544,000 after purchasing an additional 9,962 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 8,471 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $871,000 after buying an additional 1,654 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Commerce Bank increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 123.0% in the 4th quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 9,147 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $941,000 after buying an additional 5,045 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total value of $30,865.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,300,404.18. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total value of $213,678.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,543.23. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total transaction of $30,865.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,300,404.18. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,325 shares of company stock worth $276,435. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on MKSI shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup lowered shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price target for the company. Five investment 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $142.00.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $109.45 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $116.01 and its 200 day moving average is $123.58. The company has a market cap of $7.34 billion, a PE ratio of -4.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.58 and a quick ratio of 2.31. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $63.44 and a 1 year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $866.38 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.6 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

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

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.