Venturi Wealth Management LLC Increases Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,950 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $308,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 63.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 572 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MKSI shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark lowered their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of MKSI opened at $107.85 on Friday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $97.54 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.52, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $110.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.07.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. On average, research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 7.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.43%.

Insider Activity

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,575 shares of company stock worth $901,868 over the last 90 days. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.