Inspire Investing LLC Has $1.24 Million Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 211.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 11,900 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,079 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $1,242,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’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 sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. This represents a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $156.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.75.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $119.68 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $97.54 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $111.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $112.87. The company has a market capitalization of $8.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 265.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

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.