KBC Group NV Acquires 29,099 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

KBC Group NV lifted its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 1,698.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,812 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,099 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $3,216,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 53.7% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MKSI. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho upgraded shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Four equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.75.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $113.28 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $111.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.67. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $97.54 and a one year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.62 billion, a PE ratio of 251.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.