EP Wealth Advisors LLC Makes New $278,000 Investment in MKS Inc. $MKSI

EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,466 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $278,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of MKS by 28.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 524,837 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $42,066,000 after purchasing an additional 115,496 shares during the last quarter. Harber Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in MKS in the 1st quarter worth approximately $6,584,000. Sculptor Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of MKS during the 1st quarter worth approximately $5,073,000. Kodai Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of MKS by 138.3% during the 1st quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP now owns 708,021 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $56,748,000 after buying an additional 410,865 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of MKS by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 543,421 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $43,560,000 after buying an additional 51,924 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Stock Performance

MKSI stock traded down $0.18 during trading on Friday, reaching $115.83. 632,862 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,171,223. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $102.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $89.74. The company has a market capitalization of $7.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.94. MKS Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $125.33.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $973.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $931.05 million. MKS had a net margin of 7.11% and a return on equity of 20.65%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.53 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.34%.

Insider Activity at MKS

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total transaction of $29,955.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,923,410.55. The trade was a 1.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total transaction of $27,630.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,092,490.20. The trade was a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,600 shares of company stock valued at $267,585 over the last three months. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on MKSI shares. Mizuho increased their price objective on MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on MKS in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $119.80.

MKS 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.