Fulton Bank N.A. Acquires 597 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Fulton Bank N.A. raised its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 20.7% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,487 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 597 shares during the quarter. Fulton Bank N.A.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $455,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 143.1% during the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,141,676 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $282,102,000 after acquiring an additional 1,260,792 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at $117,672,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at $60,664,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,490,779 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $461,966,000 after buying an additional 581,453 shares during the period. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth about $21,052,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $160.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.75.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 2.0 %

NASDAQ MKSI traded down $2.16 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $104.26. 524,297 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 810,771. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.34. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $129.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $124.74. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12-month low of $63.44 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The firm has a market cap of $6.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.65.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.43. The company had revenue of $868.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $848.94 million. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 48.24% and a positive return on equity of 13.90%. MKS Instruments’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.48 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is -3.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total value of $30,865.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,300,404.18. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.41, for a total value of $35,587.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 18,209 shares in the company, valued at $2,356,426.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total value of $30,865.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,300,404.18. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.