MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Acquired by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 3,444.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 292,226 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.45% of MKS Instruments worth $31,391,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% in the 4th 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 last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,954,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $212,515,000 after buying an additional 65,200 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in MKS Instruments by 4.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,172,517 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $127,496,000 after buying an additional 51,519 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $110,789,000 after buying an additional 530,620 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.4% during the 3rd 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 acquiring an additional 45,862 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. This trade represents a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKSI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho raised MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $156.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.75.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $117.23 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $110.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.27. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $97.54 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42. The company has a market capitalization of $7.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 260.51, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The business had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. MKS Instruments’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.