Granite Investment Partners LLC Buys 12,780 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Granite Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 49.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 38,371 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 12,780 shares during the quarter. Granite Investment Partners LLC owned approximately 0.06% of MKS Instruments worth $4,006,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 46.5% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 28,670 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,993,000 after acquiring an additional 9,102 shares during the last quarter. Argent Trust Co boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 3,573 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth $7,784,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 29,392 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $3,068,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 146,736 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $15,316,000 after purchasing an additional 4,136 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target 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. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 2.0 %

MKSI stock opened at $65.53 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The business has a 50-day moving average of $88.30 and a 200-day moving average of $102.01.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is 31.43%.

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.