Capital International Investors Sells 62,713 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Capital International Investors trimmed its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,097,676 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 62,713 shares during the period. Capital International Investors’ holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $323,366,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $435,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 44.0% in the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 83,312 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $8,691,000 after buying an additional 25,450 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at $2,578,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 37.2% during the fourth quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 4,060 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $424,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Granite Investment Partners LLC raised its position in MKS Instruments by 49.9% during the fourth quarter. Granite Investment Partners LLC now owns 38,371 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $4,006,000 after acquiring an additional 12,780 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $63.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19. The firm has a market cap of $4.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.84 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $83.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.62.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 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 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

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.