29,063 Shares in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Acquired by Centiva Capital LP

Centiva Capital LP bought a new position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 29,063 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,159,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Shellback Capital LP acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter worth $34,541,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 219.5% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 348,024 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,445,000 after purchasing an additional 239,099 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter valued at about $21,690,000. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $23,171,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 239.2% during the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 247,695 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $32,344,000 after purchasing an additional 174,675 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MKSI. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, August 5th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Mizuho raised MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.09.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $31,891.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. The trade was a 1.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,119,818.70. This represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $113.64 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $117.98. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $80.84 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42. The company has a market cap of $7.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 252.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.63.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The business’s revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 195.56%.

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.