Raymond James Financial Inc. Purchases Shares of 271,217 MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 271,217 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,312,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% in 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 purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the third quarter worth $50,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 63.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 572 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the 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 sale, the director now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $86.32 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.82 billion, a PE ratio of 30.83, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.76. The company’s 50-day moving average is $104.32 and its 200-day moving average is $107.18. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.37 and a fifty-two week 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. Equities analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is 31.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MKSI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research 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 target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three equities 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.