Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC Takes $962,000 Position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 8,897 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 16.7% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 7,133 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,070,000 after buying an additional 1,020 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 1.9% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the 1st quarter valued at $342,000. Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the 1st quarter valued at $345,000. Finally, AlphaCrest Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 1st quarter worth $320,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the topic of several analyst reports. Benchmark lifted their price target on MKS Instruments from $105.00 to $115.00 in a report on Thursday, June 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on MKS Instruments from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 14th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $113.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.10.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded up $0.20 during trading on Monday, reaching $88.74. The company had a trading volume of 45,191 shares, compared to its average volume of 628,186. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $99.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $94.41. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $64.77 and a fifty-two week high of $114.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.38 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.27 and a quick ratio of 2.03.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $983.48 million. MKS Instruments had a positive return on equity of 10.78% and a negative net margin of 45.65%. MKS Instruments’s quarterly revenue was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.59 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 3.72 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 28th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently -3.36%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.49, for a total transaction of $27,122.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,612 shares in the company, valued at $1,910,725.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.49, for a total transaction of $27,122.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,612 shares in the company, valued at $1,910,725.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.01, for a total value of $1,000,100.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 88,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,802,580.17. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 47,063 shares of company stock worth $4,654,057 over the last three months. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

MKS Instruments Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc provides foundational technology solutions to semiconductor manufacturing, electronics and packaging, and specialty industrial applications in the United States, Germany, China, and internationally. It operates through Vacuum Solutions Division, Photonics Solutions Division, and Material Solutions Division.