Rafferty Asset Management LLC Sells 12,812 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 576,566 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 12,812 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $60,188,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,445,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $777,283,000 after buying an additional 97,392 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,088,283 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $322,386,000 after purchasing an additional 35,256 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 6,715 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,231,467 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $232,943,000 after buying an additional 6,964 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 0.7%

MKSI opened at $93.94 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $6.34 billion, a PE ratio of 33.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $75.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $97.03.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. The business had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $913.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 26.27%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark reduced their price objective 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.17.

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.