MKS Inc. $MKSI Shares Purchased by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Key Points

• The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in MKS Inc. by 12.6%, acquiring an additional 3,100 shares, bringing its total holdings to 27,800 shares valued at approximately $2.2 million.
• MKS reported earnings of $1.77 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, with a revenue increase of 9.7% year-over-year, totaling $973 million.
• The firm announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, with a yield of 0.9%, scheduled for payment on September 5th, reflecting a 22.34% dividend payout ratio.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 12.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,800 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 3,100 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board's holdings in MKS were worth $2,228,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in MKS by 41.8% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,250,085 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $260,494,000 after purchasing an additional 958,607 shares in the last quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in MKS in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $44,320,000. Madison Asset Management LLC increased its position in MKS by 52.9% during the 1st quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 1,428,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $114,466,000 after purchasing an additional 494,207 shares during the period. Shapiro Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in MKS during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,228,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of MKS by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,388,639 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $271,599,000 after buying an additional 300,356 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Trading Up 4.3%

MKSI stock traded up $4.53 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $109.02. 1,573,164 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,173,221. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $101.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.31. MKS Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $125.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 2.99 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The company has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.67, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.94.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $973.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $931.05 million. MKS had a return on equity of 20.65% and a net margin of 7.11%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.53 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. MKS's dividend payout ratio is 22.34%.

Insider Activity at MKS

In other MKS news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total transaction of $27,630.00. Following the sale, the director owned 11,862 shares in the company, valued at $1,092,490.20. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of MKS 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,159,955. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,600 shares of company stock valued at $267,585 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MKSI. Wall Street Zen downgraded MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday. Mizuho raised their target price on MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $90.00 price objective on the stock. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $119.80.

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.