Federated Hermes Inc. Acquires 53,525 Shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Key Points

• Federated Hermes Inc. significantly increased its stake in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 176.9%, acquiring an additional 53,525 shares to hold a total of 83,775 shares valued at approximately $6.7 million.
• Multiple institutional investors have also raised their investments in MKS, with Optimum Investment Advisors increasing their position by 66.7% and Parallel Advisors LLC boosting theirs by 89.3% in the first quarter.
• MKS reported earnings of $1.71 per share, surpassing analyst expectations, with the company's revenue increasing by 7.8% year-over-year to $936 million for the quarter.

Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 176.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 83,775 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 53,525 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. owned about 0.12% of MKS worth $6,715,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in MKS by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 9,748 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,018,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in MKS by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 11,943 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,247,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its stake in MKS by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 29,392 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,068,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System increased its stake in MKS by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 16,140 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,294,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI stock traded down $2.43 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $92.75. 1,439,071 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 987,740. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.69, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 3.11. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $96.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.15. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The business 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%. MKS's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.18 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a $0.22 dividend. 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 0.9%. MKS's payout ratio is currently 26.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of MKS from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of MKS from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $120.00.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In other MKS news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,159,955. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.