National Bank of Canada FI Has $10.76 Million Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 3,091.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 103,102 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 99,871 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned about 0.15% of MKS Instruments worth $10,763,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,445,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $777,283,000 after buying an additional 97,392 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in MKS Instruments by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,088,283 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $322,386,000 after purchasing an additional 35,256 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% during 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 period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,291,478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $239,207,000 after buying an additional 6,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,954,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $212,515,000 after buying an additional 65,200 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 6.2 %

Shares of MKSI opened at $60.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19. The company has a market cap of $4.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.53, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $94.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $104.25. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.84 and a 52-week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. Analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on MKSI shares. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments 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.