Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Buys 286 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,952 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $934,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Aigen Investment Management LP grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 705.3% in the third quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 12,547 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,364,000 after buying an additional 10,989 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 7.3% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $48,303,000 after acquiring an additional 30,216 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $265,874,000 after acquiring an additional 237,979 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 292,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter valued at about $868,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI opened at $111.53 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.54 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The firm has a market cap of $7.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 247.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.66. The business’s fifty day moving average is $111.62 and its 200-day moving average is $111.08.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on MKSI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report 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 on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $156.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.