Needham Investment Management LLC Has $13.53 Million Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Needham Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 124,500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Needham Investment Management LLC owned about 0.18% of MKS Instruments worth $13,534,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its position in MKS Instruments by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,659 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $217,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.2% in the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 5,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $547,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 1.3% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $949,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 2.4% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,942 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $537,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 62.6% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

NASDAQ MKSI traded down $0.45 on Tuesday, reaching $117.48. The stock had a trading volume of 62,803 shares, compared to its average volume of 822,246. The company has a market cap of $7.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 262.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.65. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $80.84 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $107.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $117.98.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.22 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is 195.56%.

MKS Instruments 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.