First Eagle Investment Management LLC Sells 18,709 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

First Eagle Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 12.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 134,278 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 18,709 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $14,017,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the third quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MKSI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark reduced their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 6.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $86.32 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $104.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $107.18. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.37 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.