Readystate Asset Management LP Grows Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Readystate Asset Management LP increased its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 3.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,580 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the period. Readystate Asset Management LP’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $824,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $72,120,000 after buying an additional 45,862 shares during the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 17.8% during the third quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 509,883 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $55,429,000 after buying an additional 77,025 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.3% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $48,303,000 after buying an additional 30,216 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.7% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 432,612 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $47,029,000 after buying an additional 3,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 14.0% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 418,894 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $54,699,000 after buying an additional 51,540 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup lowered MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $113.37 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $107.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $117.79. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $81.04 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 251.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. MKS Instruments’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 195.56%.

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.