MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by Shellback Capital LP

Shellback Capital LP lowered its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 29.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 53,432 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 22,763 shares during the quarter. Shellback Capital LP owned approximately 0.08% of MKS Instruments worth $5,578,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $31,391,000 after acquiring an additional 292,226 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 772.7% in the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 61,447 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $6,481,000 after purchasing an additional 54,406 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,650,000 after purchasing an additional 7,136 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group bought a new position in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth about $1,480,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $85,451,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 2.9%

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $91.19 on Friday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $6.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.57, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $76.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. The company had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $913.59 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.18 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Benchmark dropped their price target 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.17.

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.