Victory Capital Management Inc. Sells 615,711 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 15.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,306,332 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 615,711 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $431,741,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 3,574 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $475,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 62.6% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Verity Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 6.3% during the first quarter. Verity Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,085 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $277,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in MKS Instruments by 23.0% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 937 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $122,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, August 5th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $160.00 target price on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.67.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total transaction of $30,865.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,300,404.18. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total value of $30,865.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,300,404.18. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were 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 owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,079,805.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,325 shares of company stock valued at $276,435 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $108.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.58, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The stock has a market cap of $7.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.65. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $63.44 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $122.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $124.80.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.25% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The business’s revenue was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently -3.30%.

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.