4,195 Shares in MKS Inc. $MKSI Bought by United Services Automobile Association

Key Points

• United Services Automobile Association acquired 4,195 shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) valued at approximately $342,000 in the first quarter of the year.
• Insider activity reported includes sales by Director Elizabeth Mora and EVP David Philip Henry, contributing to a total of 2,600 shares sold in the last 90 days.
• MKS Inc. reported earnings of $1.77 per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, with revenue of $973 million, a 9.7% increase year-over-year.

United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,195 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $342,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in MKS in the first quarter valued at approximately $789,000. Artemis Investment Management LLP boosted its stake in MKS by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 251,799 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $20,182,000 after purchasing an additional 5,422 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp grew its position in MKS by 15.5% during the first quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 18,884 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,513,000 after buying an additional 2,530 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in MKS by 16.2% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 110,765 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $8,878,000 after buying an additional 15,482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in MKS by 33.7% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 11,973 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $960,000 after buying an additional 3,021 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,159,955. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total transaction of $29,955.00. Following the sale, the director owned 19,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,923,410.55. The trade was a 1.53% 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 worth $267,585 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MKSI has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on shares of MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.80.

MKS Price Performance

NASDAQ MKSI traded down $0.49 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $117.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 243,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,170,203. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 2.99 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.92 billion, a PE ratio of 29.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.94. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $103.21 and a 200 day moving average of $90.18. MKS Inc. has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.16. MKS had a net margin of 7.11% and a return on equity of 20.65%. The firm had revenue of $973.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $931.05 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.53 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.34%.

About MKS

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.