Nordea Investment Management AB Grows Stock Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 10.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 237,979 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB owned 3.75% of MKS Instruments worth $265,874,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,954,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $212,515,000 after acquiring an additional 65,200 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 4.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,172,517 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $127,496,000 after purchasing an additional 51,519 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 108.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $110,789,000 after purchasing an additional 530,620 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $72,120,000 after purchasing an additional 45,862 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 509,883 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $55,429,000 after purchasing an additional 77,025 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $108.29 on Monday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.71 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.29 billion, a PE ratio of 240.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $109.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.20.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The company’s revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 195.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MKSI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Citigroup downgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.00.

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.