Fisher Asset Management LLC Reduces Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Fisher Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 455,665 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 28,793 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned 0.68% of MKS Instruments worth $46,874,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 2,071.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 880,884 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $90,432,000 after purchasing an additional 840,322 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,490,779 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $461,966,000 after buying an additional 581,453 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,464,620 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $299,828,000 after buying an additional 338,347 shares in the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth approximately $21,052,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,853,896 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $593,136,000 after acquiring an additional 187,884 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 3.4 %

MKS Instruments stock opened at $122.02 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.18 billion, a PE ratio of -4.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 1.69. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $63.44 and a 12 month high of $135.51. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $123.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.89. The company has a current ratio of 3.18, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90.

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

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3.19%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $1,200,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 68,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,162,040. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other MKS Instruments news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 68,017 shares in the company, valued at $8,162,040. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total value of $30,722.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 9,161 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,125,795.29. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,776 shares of company stock valued at $6,226,307 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the topic of several analyst reports. TheStreet raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.75.

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.