MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,087 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 145 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $531,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,088,283 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $322,386,000 after acquiring an additional 35,256 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $265,874,000 after buying an additional 237,979 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,954,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $212,515,000 after buying an additional 65,200 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,172,517 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $127,496,000 after acquiring an additional 51,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $110,789,000 after acquiring an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MKSI shares. Benchmark dropped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of MKSI opened at $88.91 on Tuesday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.37 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $5.99 billion, a PE ratio of 31.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $103.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS 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, analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 31.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.