Highland Capital Management LLC Buys New Stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Highland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 12,055 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,258,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake 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 valued at $949,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.4% in the third 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 during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 21.6% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 772 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 4.2 %

Shares of MKSI opened at $112.98 on Friday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $97.54 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 251.07, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $111.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.88.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share 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 revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 195.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Mizuho raised MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $156.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.75.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. This trade represents a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.