National Bank of Canada FI Has $10.76 Million Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 3,091.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 103,102 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 99,871 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $10,763,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 43.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 33,502 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $3,497,000 after buying an additional 10,191 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,291,478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $239,207,000 after purchasing an additional 6,715 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,480,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth $684,000. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 9,748 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,018,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on MKSI shares. Benchmark lowered their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. 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 report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $60.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04. The business has a 50-day moving average of $94.63 and a 200-day moving average of $104.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.53, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

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.