Victory Capital Management Inc. Has $461.97 Million Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 14.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,490,779 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 581,453 shares during the period. MKS Instruments makes up about 0.5% of Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 6.71% of MKS Instruments worth $461,966,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in MKS Instruments by 30.2% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 40,747 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $4,192,000 after purchasing an additional 9,454 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp raised its position in MKS Instruments by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 5,139 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $529,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $309,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its position in MKS Instruments by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 29,837 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,069,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $1,200,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 68,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,162,040. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $1,200,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 68,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,162,040. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total transaction of $30,722.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 9,161 shares in the company, valued at $1,125,795.29. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 50,776 shares of company stock worth $6,226,307. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 3.2 %

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded down $3.83 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $115.15. The company had a trading volume of 130,586 shares, compared to its average volume of 627,734. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a current ratio of 3.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.17, a P/E/G ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a 50 day moving average of $123.65 and a 200 day moving average of $103.42. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $63.44 and a 52-week high of $135.51.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $893.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $845.25 million. MKS Instruments had a positive return on equity of 9.95% and a negative net margin of 50.80%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.00 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is -3.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Benchmark upped their target price on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. TheStreet upgraded MKS Instruments from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. KeyCorp upped their target price on MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded MKS Instruments from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.75.

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.