Summit Investment Advisors Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 13,480 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 325 shares during the quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $1,407,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI stock opened at $63.69 on Thursday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a PE ratio of 22.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. 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 simple moving average of $85.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $101.21.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Benchmark cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% 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.