Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Lowers Stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. trimmed its holdings in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 13.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,906 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 1,074 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C.’s holdings in MKS Instruments were worth $721,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,445,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $777,283,000 after purchasing an additional 97,392 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,088,283 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $322,386,000 after acquiring an additional 35,256 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $265,874,000 after acquiring an additional 237,979 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,291,478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $239,207,000 after purchasing an additional 6,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,954,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $212,515,000 after purchasing an additional 65,200 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $60.29 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04. The company has a market cap of $4.07 billion, a PE ratio of 21.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $104.19. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

Insider Activity

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MKSI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Benchmark decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.08.

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.