Kennedy Capital Management LLC Invests $7.78 Million in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 74,569 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,784,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $265,874,000 after purchasing an additional 237,979 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,391,000 after purchasing an additional 292,226 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,650,000 after purchasing an additional 7,136 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 772.7% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 61,447 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $6,481,000 after buying an additional 54,406 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tributary Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 65.0% in the fourth quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 8,751 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $914,000 after acquiring an additional 3,447 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on MKSI. Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark decreased their price target on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of 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, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $64.24 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.38. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.84 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced 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 the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. Equities research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.43%.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’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 value of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business’s 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

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.