Deutsche Bank AG Sells 1,394 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Deutsche Bank AG decreased its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 131,006 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 1,394 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned approximately 0.19% of MKS Instruments worth $13,676,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its position in MKS Instruments by 158.5% during the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 367,437 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,357,000 after acquiring an additional 225,285 shares during the period. Concentric Capital Strategies LP bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth $8,877,000. Crestline Management LP increased its position in MKS Instruments by 85.1% during the fourth quarter. Crestline Management LP now owns 78,938 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $8,240,000 after acquiring an additional 36,287 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in MKS Instruments by 49.9% during the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 23,439 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,447,000 after acquiring an additional 7,806 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgefront Capital LLC increased its position in MKS Instruments by 70.2% during the fourth quarter. Bridgefront Capital LLC now owns 4,206 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $439,000 after acquiring an additional 1,735 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MKSI shares. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Benchmark decreased their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.17.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $91.19 on Friday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.84 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19. The company’s fifty day moving average is $76.21 and its 200-day moving average is $96.95. The company has a market capitalization of $6.15 billion, a PE ratio of 32.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. The company had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.18 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’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 owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.