MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Purchased by Federated Hermes Inc.

Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 136.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,250 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,438 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $3,158,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings 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 during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,952,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,068 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, 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 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on MKSI shares. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark reduced their price target 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $65.53 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $88.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $102.08. 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.

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

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

MKS Instruments 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.