Hedge Funds Are Dumping MKS Instruments, Inc. (MKSI): Rexnord Corp (RXN), Polypore International, Inc. (PPO)

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) has experienced a decrease in support from the world’s most elite money managers recently.

In today’s marketplace, there are many indicators market participants can use to monitor stocks. A couple of the most innovative are hedge fund and insider trading movement. At Insider Monkey, our studies have shown that, historically, those who follow the best picks of the best money managers can outclass their index-focused peers by a significant amount (see just how much).

Just as key, bullish insider trading activity is another way to parse down the world of equities. Just as you’d expect, there are a variety of stimuli for an upper level exec to drop shares of his or her company, but only one, very simple reason why they would behave bullishly. Many academic studies have demonstrated the valuable potential of this tactic if shareholders know where to look (learn more here).

With all of this in mind, we’re going to take a look at the key action surrounding MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI).

How are hedge funds trading MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)?

In preparation for this year, a total of 8 of the hedge funds we track were bullish in this stock, a change of -11% from the third quarter. With the smart money’s positions undergoing their usual ebb and flow, there exists an “upper tier” of key hedge fund managers who were upping their stakes considerably.

According to our comprehensive database, Royce & Associates, managed by Chuck Royce, holds the largest position in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI). Royce & Associates has a $182 million position in the stock, comprising 0.6% of its 13F portfolio. Sitting at the No. 2 spot is AQR Capital Management, managed by Cliff Asness, which held a $25 million position; the fund has 0.1% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Some other hedgies with similar optimism include Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management, Jim Simons’s Renaissance Technologies and Joel Greenblatt’s Gotham Asset Management.

Judging by the fact that MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) has experienced declining sentiment from the entirety of the hedge funds we track, logic holds that there was a specific group of funds that elected to cut their full holdings last quarter. Intriguingly, Israel Englander’s Millennium Management dropped the biggest investment of the “upper crust” of funds we watch, totaling about $0 million in stock. These transactions are interesting, as aggregate hedge fund interest dropped by 1 funds last quarter.

How are insiders trading MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)?

Insider purchases made by high-level executives is at its handiest when the company in question has experienced transactions within the past 180 days. Over the latest six-month time frame, MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) has seen 3 unique insiders purchasing, and 7 insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).

Let’s go over hedge fund and insider activity in other stocks similar to MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI). These stocks are Rexnord Corp (NYSE:RXN), Polypore International, Inc. (NYSE:PPO), Briggs & Stratton Corporation (NYSE:BGG), Hillenbrand, Inc. (NYSE:HI), and AIXTRON SE (ADR) (NASDAQ:AIXG). This group of stocks belong to the diversified machinery industry and their market caps are closest to MKSI’s market cap.

With the results demonstrated by Insider Monkey’s strategies, everyday investors must always pay attention to hedge fund and insider trading activity, and MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) is no exception.

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