Pzena Investment Management LLC Invests $361,000 in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Pzena Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,323 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $361,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Shellback Capital LP purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth about $34,541,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 219.5% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 348,024 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,445,000 after purchasing an additional 239,099 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the third quarter valued at approximately $21,690,000. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth $23,171,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 239.2% in the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 247,695 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $32,344,000 after purchasing an additional 174,675 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, 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 directly owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,119,818.70. This represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $31,891.75. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at $2,079,805.98. The trade was a 1.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $108.35 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 240.78, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.58 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $106.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $118.59.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million during 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.22 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 195.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup cut shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Company Profile

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.