MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Purchased by Artemis Investment Management LLP

Artemis Investment Management LLP lifted its position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 2.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 251,799 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,422 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP owned 0.37% of MKS worth $20,182,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in MKS by 68.6% during 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 buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS by 424.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its position in MKS by 24,900.0% during the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MKS by 89.3% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Stock Down 0.8%

MKSI stock traded down $0.85 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $99.36. 727,009 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,052,952. MKS Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.84 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The company has a market cap of $6.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 3.11. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $84.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.27.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. MKS had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 20.67%. MKS's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.18 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast 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, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. MKS's payout ratio is 26.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on MKSI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded MKS from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on MKS from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of MKS from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $130.82.

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.