Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 17,015 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,776,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in 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 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% 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 buying an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the third quarter worth about $50,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the third quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 63.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 572 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were 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 owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 transaction of $31,187.75. Following the transaction, 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 sold a total of 8,575 shares of company stock worth $901,868 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $91.82 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $90.07 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $108.93 and a 200 day moving average of $109.63. The stock has a market cap of $6.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Benchmark cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.08.

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.