Crestline Management LP Has $8.24 Million Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Crestline Management LP lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 85.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 78,938 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 36,287 shares during the period. Crestline Management LP owned about 0.12% of MKS Instruments worth $8,240,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Barclays PLC boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 108.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $110,789,000 after buying an additional 530,620 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 26.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 23,311 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,626,000 after acquiring an additional 4,846 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of 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 worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 46.5% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,131 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $118,000 after acquiring an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on MKSI. Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Benchmark decreased their target price 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the 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 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 SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $74.47 on Tuesday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $147.40. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $76.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $97.80. The company has a market cap of $5.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.60, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. Analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s 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.