12,055 Shares in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Purchased by Highland Capital Management LLC

Highland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 12,055 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,258,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 196.9% in the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. This trade represents a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Mizuho upgraded shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased 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 report on Friday, January 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.75.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI stock opened at $112.98 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $111.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.88. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.54 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a PE ratio of 251.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.66. 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 results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 195.56%.

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.