Bank of America Corp DE Takes Position in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• Bank of America acquired 520,847 shares of MKS during the second quarter, valued at approximately $231.7 million and representing about 0.77% of the company. Institutional investors collectively own 99.79% of MKS.
• MKS reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.30 versus the $2.91 consensus and revenue of $1.25 billion, up 28.3% year over year. The company guided for third-quarter EPS of $3.27–$3.89.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, assigning MKS a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $382.86, well above the reported share price of $235.28.

Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 520,847 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $231,673,000. Bank of America Corp DE owned approximately 0.77% of MKS at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in MKS by 47.5% in the second quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in MKS by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,274 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $982,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in MKS by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 390 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in MKS during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in MKS by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 541 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MKS Stock Performance

MKS stock opened at $235.28 on Thursday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $294.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $295.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $15.91 billion, a PE ratio of 37.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.98. MKS Inc. has a twelve month low of $115.74 and a twelve month high of $447.62.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. MKS had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 28.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.77 earnings per share. MKS has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.890 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that MKS Inc. will post 13.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.95%.

Insider Activity at MKS

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.96, for a total value of $75,288.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,729,341.20. This trade represents a 1.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John Williams sold 457 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.31, for a total transaction of $131,757.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,181,494.38. This represents a 10.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 10,757 shares of company stock valued at $3,227,146 over the last ninety days. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MKSI shares. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of MKS from $360.00 to $330.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of MKS from $374.00 to $442.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of MKS in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $453.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of MKS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on MKS from $360.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $382.86.

MKS Company Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc NASDAQ: MKSI provides instruments, systems and process-control solutions used by manufacturers and research organizations. Its technologies help measure and control pressure, flow, vacuum, gas composition, temperature and other conditions involved in advanced manufacturing and laboratory processes.

The company offers vacuum components and systems, gas and vapor delivery equipment, pressure and flow controllers, process-monitoring instruments, analytical solutions, RF and microwave power systems, plasma-generation technologies, and materials-processing equipment.

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