Short Interest in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Decreases By 17.8%

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,440,000 shares, a decrease of 17.8% from the August 31st total of 2,970,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 936,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other MKS Instruments news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,543.23. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,325 shares of company stock valued at $276,435. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth $3,565,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter valued at about $132,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth about $1,288,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 14.8% during the second quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 32,231 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $4,209,000 after purchasing an additional 4,163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 16.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 12,921 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,687,000 after purchasing an additional 1,827 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MKSI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price objective for the company. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $142.00.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKS Instruments stock traded down $2.97 during trading on Friday, reaching $110.31. The company had a trading volume of 772,394 shares, compared to its average volume of 822,408. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a current ratio of 3.58, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $114.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $123.11. MKS Instruments has a 52 week low of $63.44 and a 52 week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $887.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 0.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 5.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently -3.30%.

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.