Verity Asset Management Inc. Invests $338,000 in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Verity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,236 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $338,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Equitable Trust Co. increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.2% during the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 5,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $547,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $949,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,942 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $537,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 21.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 772 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 1.9 %

MKSI stock opened at $111.13 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $111.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $111.17. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $97.54 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.48 billion, a PE ratio of 246.96, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released 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. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,146,048.40. This represents a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MKSI shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $156.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.75.

MKS Instruments Company 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.