MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 836,389 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 1,306 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 1.24% of MKS Instruments worth $87,315,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Aigen Investment Management LP lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 705.3% during the third quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 12,547 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,364,000 after buying an additional 10,989 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.3% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $48,303,000 after purchasing an additional 30,216 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $265,874,000 after purchasing an additional 237,979 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,391,000 after purchasing an additional 292,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 35,069 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $3,650,000 after purchasing an additional 7,136 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,146,048.40. This represents a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction 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. The trade was 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $105.47 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 234.38, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.66. The company’s 50-day moving average is $110.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.11. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $97.54 and a 1-year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. Analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.34 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.43%.

MKS Instruments Company 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.