Hudson Value Partners LLC Reduces Holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Hudson Value Partners LLC trimmed its position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 82.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,169 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 19,102 shares during the quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $435,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the third quarter worth about $50,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the third quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 63.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 572 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MKSI. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 1.7 %

MKSI stock opened at $105.47 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $110.45 and a 200 day moving average of $110.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a PE ratio of 37.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $97.54 and a 52 week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. Sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 7.37 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. This trade represents a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About MKS Instruments

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.