Tributary Capital Management LLC Decreases Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Tributary Capital Management LLC cut its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 20.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,903 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 1,550 shares during the period. Tributary Capital Management LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $785,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MKSI. Norges Bank purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth about $117,672,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in MKS Instruments by 2,071.7% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 880,884 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $90,432,000 after buying an additional 840,322 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,664,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in MKS Instruments by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,490,779 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $461,966,000 after buying an additional 581,453 shares during the period. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $21,052,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of MKSI traded up $1.45 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $130.94. The stock had a trading volume of 15,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 756,900. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $63.44 and a 1 year high of $139.20. The firm has a market cap of $8.78 billion, a PE ratio of -4.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $127.56 and its 200 day moving average is $119.72.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.43. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 48.24% and a positive return on equity of 13.90%. The business had revenue of $868.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $848.94 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 24th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is presently -3.30%.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.41, for a total value of $35,587.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,209 shares in the company, valued at $2,356,426.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on MKSI. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.17.

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.