MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by First National Advisers LLC

First National Advisers LLC cut its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 30.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 3,667 shares during the quarter. First National Advisers LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $880,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 159 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the 4th 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 period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a research note 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 note on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Three 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. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 6.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $86.32 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The business has a fifty day moving average of $104.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.03. The stock has a market cap of $5.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.83, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.76. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.37 and a 52-week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.43%.

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.