Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Grows Stock Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 37.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,060 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $424,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $97,494,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth $85,451,000. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $110,789,000 after acquiring an additional 530,620 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the fourth 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 acquiring an additional 292,226 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at $28,312,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $63.72 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $83.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $100.59. The firm has a market cap of $4.30 billion, a PE ratio of 22.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. As a group, equities analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.08.

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.