Retirement Systems of Alabama Has $16.49 Million Stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 0.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 157,930 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $16,486,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aigen Investment Management LP raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 705.3% in the third quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 12,547 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,364,000 after purchasing an additional 10,989 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $48,303,000 after buying an additional 30,216 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 237,979 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,391,000 after buying an additional 292,226 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter valued at about $868,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $111.94 on Friday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.54 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $111.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.08. The company has a market capitalization of $7.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 248.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. This represents a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on MKSI. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $156.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Four equities research 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.75.

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.