EntryPoint Capital LLC Takes Position in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Inc. during the first quarter, purchasing 5,304 shares for approximately $425,000.
• Several institutional investors, including ProShare Advisors LLC and Optimum Investment Advisors, have increased their holdings in MKS, demonstrating strong interest in the company from major investors.
• MKS reported better-than-expected earnings in its last quarterly report, with EPS of $1.77, exceeding analyst estimates of $1.61, and a revenue increase of 9.7% year-over-year.

EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 5,304 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $425,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in MKS by 41.8% in the 1st 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 acquiring an additional 958,607 shares in the last quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Shapiro Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS during the 4th quarter worth about $48,228,000. 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 purchasing an additional 300,356 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of MKS by 158.5% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 367,437 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $38,357,000 after purchasing an additional 225,285 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MKSI shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $119.80.

MKS Stock Performance

NASDAQ MKSI traded up $1.6850 during trading on Monday, hitting $106.7150. The company's stock had a trading volume of 335,408 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,183,705. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $99.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.55. The firm has a market cap of $7.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.86. MKS Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.84 and a 52 week high of $125.33.

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

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. MKS's payout ratio is currently 22.34%.

Insider Activity at MKS

In other news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,159,955. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total value of $27,630.00. Following the sale, the director owned 11,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,092,490.20. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

About MKS

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.