Bessemer Group Inc. lessened its stake in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 8.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 134,073 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 12,663 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned about 0.20% of MKS worth $10,744,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stonegate Investment Group LLC raised its stake in MKS by 13.7% during the 1st quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 2,742 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $220,000 after buying an additional 331 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of MKS by 535.5% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,631 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $211,000 after acquiring an additional 2,217 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in shares of MKS by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $631,000 after buying an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew 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 valued at $960,000 after purchasing an additional 3,021 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in MKS by 11.1% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,408 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $353,000 after buying an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of MKS from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research 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 for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $130.82.
Read Our Latest Analysis on MKSI
MKS Stock Performance
Shares of MKSI stock traded down $0.85 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $99.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 741,584 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,052,983. The company has a 50 day moving average of $85.60 and a 200 day moving average of $92.18. The stock has a market cap of $6.70 billion, a PE ratio of 29.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.84. 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $147.40.
MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $936.00 million during 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.
MKS Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.
MKS Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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