SG Americas Securities LLC Grows Stock Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 34.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 3,883 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 1,003 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 196.9% in the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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

MKS Instruments Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $113.28 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $111.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $111.29. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $97.54 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 251.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 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.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $156.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Mizuho raised MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.75.

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.