Strs Ohio Lowers Stock Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Strs Ohio lowered its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 13.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 82,532 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 12,882 shares during the period. Strs Ohio owned approximately 0.12% of MKS Instruments worth $8,490,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its position in MKS Instruments by 73.5% during the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 295 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth about $34,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Baystate Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at about $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. TheStreet upgraded MKS Instruments from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Benchmark increased their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total transaction of $30,722.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 9,161 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,125,795.29. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $1,200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 68,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,162,040. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total value of $30,722.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,161 shares in the company, valued at $1,125,795.29. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 60,776 shares of company stock worth $7,326,307 over the last three months. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKS Instruments stock opened at $114.80 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 3.18, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $124.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $101.31. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $63.44 and a 52 week high of $135.51.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.28. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 50.80% and a positive return on equity of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $893.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $845.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.00 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.54 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -3.19%.

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.