Aperture Investors LLC Has $16.45 Million Holdings in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• Aperture Investors LLC reduced its stake in MKS Inc. by 11.2%, holding 205,209 shares valued at approximately $16.45 million as of its latest SEC filing.
• MKS Inc. reported an EPS of $1.77 for the latest quarter, surpassing analyst expectations of $1.61 and showing a 9.7% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22, with an ex-dividend date of August 25th, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.8%.

Aperture Investors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 11.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 205,209 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 25,772 shares during the quarter. MKS makes up 2.1% of Aperture Investors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Aperture Investors LLC owned about 0.30% of MKS worth $16,448,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Kodai Capital Management LP increased its position in 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. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in 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. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in MKS by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 27,800 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $2,228,000 after buying an additional 3,100 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP increased its position in MKS by 357.4% during the 1st quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 65,961 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $5,287,000 after buying an additional 51,541 shares during the period. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in MKS by 110.5% during the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 8,545 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $685,000 after buying an additional 4,485 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at MKS

In related news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,571 shares in the company, valued at $2,159,955. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total value of $27,630.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,862 shares in the company, valued at $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. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

MKS Trading Down 1.3%

MKSI stock traded down $1.39 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $101.95. The company had a trading volume of 825,693 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,177,298. The business has a 50-day moving average of $101.52 and a 200-day moving average of $89.42. MKS Inc. has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $125.33. The stock has a market cap of $6.85 billion, a PE ratio of 25.88, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced 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. MKS had a return on equity of 20.65% and a net margin of 7.11%.The business had revenue of $973.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $931.05 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.53 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. MKS's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on MKSI shares. Mizuho increased their price objective on MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Zacks Research cut MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded MKS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.80.

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.