US Bancorp DE Lowers Stock Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

US Bancorp DE reduced its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Rating) by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,097 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 332 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $504,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 16.7% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 7,133 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,070,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 1.9% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 14,882 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,232,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the period. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the first quarter valued at $342,000. Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the first quarter valued at $345,000. Finally, AlphaCrest Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the first quarter valued at $320,000. 86.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 4.2 %

MKSI opened at $99.63 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $85.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 2.76. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $64.77 and a one year high of $164.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.99 and a beta of 1.48.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 2nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $954.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $954.15 million. Analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 9.19 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKSI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Cowen raised their price target on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 15th. StockNews.com cut MKS Instruments from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 4th. Cowen raised their price target on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on MKS Instruments from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 9th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.08.

About MKS Instruments

(Get Rating)

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.