Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC Buys New Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,691 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $281,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,952,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 5.2% during 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 lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $949,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $87.76 on Wednesday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.37 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $5.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.34, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $103.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. Sell-side 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 31.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKSI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark reduced their price target on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm’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 of the company’s stock, valued at $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 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.