Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Increases Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 17.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 295,651 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 44,747 shares during the quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned approximately 0.44% of MKS Instruments worth $32,140,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 5.9% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,659 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $217,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its holdings 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 worth $547,000 after purchasing 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 grew 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 valued at $537,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 62.6% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MKSI shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.09.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,079,805.98. This trade represents a 1.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKS Instruments stock opened at $116.49 on Tuesday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $77.25 and a one year high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $7.84 billion, a PE ratio of 258.87, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $107.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $118.34.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The company’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 195.56%.

About MKS Instruments

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.