K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc Acquires New Shares in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,000 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $309,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 29,837 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $3,069,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $193,000. Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,157,767 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $119,099,000 after purchasing an additional 27,635 shares during the period. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at $138,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of MKSI stock traded up $4.48 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $120.75. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 480,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 586,261. The company has a current ratio of 3.18, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The business has a fifty day moving average of $123.69 and a 200-day moving average of $102.59. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $63.44 and a twelve month high of $135.51. The stock has a market cap of $8.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.67.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $893.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $845.25 million. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 50.80% and a positive return on equity of 9.95%. MKS Instruments’s revenue was down 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.00 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.54 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently -3.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the subject of several research reports. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Benchmark increased their target price on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. TheStreet raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.75.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.00, for a total transaction of $33,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 16,862 shares in the company, valued at $2,242,646. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.00, for a total value of $33,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 16,862 shares in the company, valued at $2,242,646. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $1,200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 68,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,162,040. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,776 shares of company stock worth $6,226,307. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

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.