Whittier Trust Co. Takes $102,000 Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 977 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 58.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 24,900.0% in the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 498 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of MKSI opened at $88.17 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $5.94 billion, a PE ratio of 31.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The business has a fifty day moving average of $102.08 and a 200 day moving average of $106.16. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.37 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

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

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 31.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MKSI shares. 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 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price 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. Benchmark reduced their target price 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. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % 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 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.