Venturi Wealth Management LLC Grows Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 23.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,809 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $305,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 5.1% in the first quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 620,063 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $82,468,000 after acquiring an additional 30,348 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 509,883 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $55,429,000 after purchasing an additional 77,025 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 14.0% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 418,894 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $54,699,000 after buying an additional 51,540 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in MKS Instruments by 4.9% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 372,394 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $48,629,000 after buying an additional 17,476 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 219.5% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 348,024 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,445,000 after acquiring an additional 239,099 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of MKS Instruments stock opened at $112.91 on Wednesday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $69.01 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a current ratio of 3.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 250.91, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.63. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $106.64 and a 200 day moving average of $119.02.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. MKS Instruments’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.73 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,818.70. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at $2,079,805.98. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,325 shares of company stock worth $272,795. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MKSI shares. Citigroup cut MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.09.

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.