MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Bought by Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Rating) by 3,094.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,597 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,547 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $132,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 14,140 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,451,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,074 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $521,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 9,316 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $956,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 19.1% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 692 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,429 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $659,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.77% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $100.72 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $83.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.84. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $64.77 and a 52-week high of $180.70. The firm has a market cap of $6.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.13 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 2nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.38 by $0.36. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 19.14% and a net margin of 13.31%. The company had revenue of $954.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $954.15 million. Analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 9.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 28th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKSI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup decreased their target price on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 4th. StockNews.com cut MKS Instruments from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 4th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, January 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on MKS Instruments from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Friday, November 4th. Finally, Cowen upped their price target on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $100.00 in a report on Thursday, December 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.08.

About MKS Instruments

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MKS Instruments, Inc provides instruments, systems, subsystems, and process control solutions that measure, monitor, deliver, analyze, power, and control critical parameters of manufacturing processes worldwide. Its Vacuum & Analysis segment offers pressure and vacuum control solutions, including direct and indirect pressure measurement; materials delivery solutions comprising flow and valve technologies, as well as integrated pressure measurement and control subsystems, which provide customers with precise control capabilities; power solutions products, such as microwave, power delivery systems, radio frequency matching networks, and metrology products used in providing energy to etching, stripping, and deposition processes; and plasma and reactive gas products.