7,022 Shares in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Purchased by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 7,022 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $763,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 23.0% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 937 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter worth about $691,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,685 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,570,000 after buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter worth about $249,000. Finally, Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,542,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,146,048.40. This represents a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 825 shares of company stock worth $92,853 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $112.55 on Friday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $90.90 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 250.11, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $108.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The business’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 195.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on MKSI shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.42.

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.