MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by Calamos Advisors LLC

Calamos Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 49.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 30,000 shares during the quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $3,184,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MKSI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $156.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Four equities research 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.75.

Insider Activity

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

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKS Instruments stock opened at $111.86 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 248.58, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $111.63 and a 200-day moving average of $111.07. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.54 and a 52-week high of $147.40.

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

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.