Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Has $72.12 Million Stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 45,862 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $72,120,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Key Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. BOKF NA acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 target price for the company. Mizuho raised MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.09.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. This represents a 1.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,818.70. This represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $112.36 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.56 billion, a PE ratio of 249.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.63. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $107.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $118.18. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $78.17 and a one year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21.

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

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 195.56%.

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.