Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 56,588 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 837,695 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 56,588 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 1.24% of MKS Instruments worth $91,062,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aigen Investment Management LP boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 705.3% during the third quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 12,547 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,364,000 after purchasing an additional 10,989 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 141,187 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $18,436,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,599,000. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $48,303,000 after acquiring an additional 30,216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,928.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 76,828 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $10,110,000 after purchasing an additional 74,921 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 825 shares of company stock valued at $92,853 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $103.53 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $108.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $116.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42. The stock has a market cap of $6.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 230.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $95.71 and a one year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. MKS Instruments’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on MKSI. Citigroup downgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.00.

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.