Soros Fund Management LLC Buys 48,856 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Soros Fund Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 56.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 134,770 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 48,856 shares during the period. Soros Fund Management LLC owned approximately 0.20% of MKS Instruments worth $14,651,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,659 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $217,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. grew its position in MKS Instruments by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 5,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $949,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its position in MKS Instruments by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,942 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $537,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 62.6% during the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 3.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $113.37 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $107.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $117.79. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $81.04 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 251.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The company had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. MKS Instruments’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 195.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

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.