MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stake Lessened by Shell Asset Management Co.

Shell Asset Management Co. decreased its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 3.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,174 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 119 shares during the period. Shell Asset Management Co.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $422,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 0.8% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 46,575 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $6,198,000 after buying an additional 369 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 78,093 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $10,387,000 after acquiring an additional 5,184 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 620,063 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $82,468,000 after acquiring an additional 30,348 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 22.7% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 10,694 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,422,000 after acquiring an additional 1,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the first quarter worth $918,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MKSI. Bank of America initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $147.86.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $124.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.34. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $63.44 and a one year high of $147.40. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $131.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.90. The company has a market capitalization of $8.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.65.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.43. MKS Instruments had a positive return on equity of 13.90% and a negative net margin of 48.24%. The business had revenue of $868.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.94 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.48 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -3.30%.

Insider Activity

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.41, for a total transaction of $35,587.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,356,426.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.46% of the stock is owned by 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.