Neo Ivy Capital Management Acquires New Shares in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired 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 and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 22,412 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,436,000. MKS Instruments accounts for about 0.8% of Neo Ivy Capital Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $217,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 5,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $547,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $949,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,942 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $537,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 62.6% during the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $110.91 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 246.47, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.65. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $108.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $117.23. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $83.60 and a 52-week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its 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. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is 195.56%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKSI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. 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 on the stock. Citigroup downgraded MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho raised MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.