Tributary Capital Management LLC Has $914,000 Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Tributary Capital Management LLC raised its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 65.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,751 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,447 shares during the quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $914,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in MKS Instruments by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $265,874,000 after acquiring an additional 237,979 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,954,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $212,515,000 after purchasing an additional 65,200 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,172,517 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $127,496,000 after purchasing an additional 51,519 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in MKS Instruments by 108.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $110,789,000 after buying an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 7.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $72,120,000 after buying an additional 45,862 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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 approximately $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $117.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.91 billion, a PE ratio of 261.11, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $111.81 and a 200-day moving average of $112.74. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $97.54 and a 12 month high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 195.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $156.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.75.

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.