Tributary Capital Management LLC Acquires 3,447 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Tributary Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 65.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,751 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,447 shares during the period. Tributary Capital Management LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $914,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth about $39,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted 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 last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $117.50 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $111.81 and its 200 day moving average is $112.74. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $97.54 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The stock has a market cap of $7.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 261.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.66.

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

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 195.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on MKSI. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.75.

Insider Activity

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. This represents a 2.92 % 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.