Cwm LLC Acquires 3,580 Shares of MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• Cwm LLC increased its stake in MKS Inc. by 139.1%, acquiring an additional 3,580 shares, bringing its total holdings to 6,154 shares worth approximately $611,000.
• MKS recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, which represents an annualized payout of $0.88 and a dividend yield of 0.6%.
• The stock of MKS Inc. is currently rated as a Moderate Buy by analysts, with a consensus price target of $130.70, reflecting a positive sentiment towards its future growth.

Cwm LLC increased its stake in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 139.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,154 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,580 shares during the period. Cwm LLC's holdings in MKS were worth $611,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Optimum Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of MKS by 66.7% in the 1st quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Steph & Co. bought a new stake in shares of MKS in the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in shares of MKS by 1,168.3% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 799 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of MKS by 79.2% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 828 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MKS in the 1st quarter valued at about $77,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $650,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,024,230. This represents a 24.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total value of $29,955.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 19,263 shares in the company, valued at $1,923,410.55. This trade represents a 1.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,900 shares of company stock worth $744,227. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

MKS Stock Up 4.6%

MKSI stock opened at $140.65 on Friday. MKS Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $142.34. The business's 50 day moving average price is $119.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.99. The company has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.97.

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

MKS Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. MKS's dividend payout ratio is 22.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MKSI. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $151.00 target price on shares of MKS in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Zacks Research lowered MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on MKS from $130.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Mizuho upped their price target on MKS from $118.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $130.70.

MKS 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.

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