Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 16.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 110,765 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 15,482 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.16% of MKS worth $8,878,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in MKS in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in MKS by 89.3% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in MKS by 24,900.0% in the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in MKS by 1,330.9% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 787 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Trading Down 0.0%

NASDAQ:MKSI traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $99.50. The company had a trading volume of 583,969 shares, compared to its average volume of 883,358. The company has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of 29.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.88. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $95.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.90. MKS Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.84 and a 52 week high of $128.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 3.11 and a quick ratio of 1.96.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $913.59 million. MKS had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 20.67%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict 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, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of MKS from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of MKS from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $120.00.

Insider Activity at MKS

In other news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,159,955. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

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.