Bryce Point Capital LLC Invests $523,000 in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Bryce Point Capital LLC bought a new stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 5,011 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $523,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,445,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $777,283,000 after purchasing an additional 97,392 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,088,283 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $322,386,000 after buying an additional 35,256 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 10.4% during 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 buying an additional 237,979 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,291,478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $239,207,000 after acquiring an additional 6,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its position in MKS Instruments by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,954,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $212,515,000 after acquiring an additional 65,200 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $64.27 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $95.78 and a 200-day moving average of $104.58. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $63.43 and a one year high of $147.40. The stock has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a PE ratio of 22.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark lowered their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company 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 target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company’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 value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

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.