Nomura Holdings Inc. Raises Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Nomura Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 419,347 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,256 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc. owned 0.62% of MKS Instruments worth $43,776,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Needham Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 129,000 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $13,466,000 after purchasing an additional 4,500 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 234,795 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $24,510,000 after buying an additional 21,533 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 766.4% in the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 111,946 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $11,686,000 after buying an additional 99,025 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 39.0% in the 4th quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 9,110 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $951,000 after buying an additional 2,558 shares during the period. Finally, Ellevest Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 8,633 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $901,000 after buying an additional 585 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $93.32 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $6.29 billion, a PE ratio of 33.33, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The company’s fifty day moving average is $75.79 and its 200 day moving average is $97.05. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.84 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

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

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.27%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price 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. Benchmark lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.