Hilton Capital Management LLC Increases Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Hilton Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,873 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 834 shares during the period. Hilton Capital Management LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $1,866,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $48,303,000 after buying an additional 30,216 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $265,874,000 after acquiring an additional 237,979 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $31,391,000 after purchasing an additional 292,226 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,650,000 after purchasing an additional 7,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter worth $868,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark decreased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $81.24 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.76. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $105.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.58. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.37 and a 12 month high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

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.