Artemis Investment Management LLP Has $20.18 Million Stock Holdings in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its holdings in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 2.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 251,799 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,422 shares during the quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP owned 0.37% of MKS worth $20,182,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in shares of MKS by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 9,748 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,018,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in MKS by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in MKS by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in MKS by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 11,943 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,247,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in shares of MKS by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 19,527 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $2,038,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Stock Performance

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $100.27 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.93, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $84.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.63. MKS Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS had a return on equity of 20.67% and a net margin of 6.21%. The firm had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on MKS from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of MKS from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on shares of MKS from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $130.82.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.