First National Advisers LLC Has $1.10 Million Position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Key Points

• First National Advisers LLC increased its position in MKS Inc. by 62.1%, now holding approximately $1.10 million worth of shares in the company.
• MKS reported $1.71 earnings per share for the last quarter, beating analysts' expectations, with revenues of $936 million—a 7.8% increase year-over-year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.88% and reflecting a payout ratio of 26.27%.

First National Advisers LLC increased its position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 62.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,670 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 5,237 shares during the quarter. First National Advisers LLC's holdings in MKS were worth $1,096,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in MKS during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $789,000. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its position in MKS by 772.7% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 61,447 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $6,481,000 after purchasing an additional 54,406 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group acquired a new stake in MKS during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,480,000. Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its position in MKS by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 251,799 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $20,182,000 after purchasing an additional 5,422 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its position in MKS by 15.5% during the 1st quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 18,884 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,513,000 after purchasing an additional 2,530 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $99.50 on Monday. MKS Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $128.20. The business's fifty day moving average is $95.27 and its 200 day moving average is $91.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 3.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The stock has a market cap of $6.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.88.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS had a return on equity of 20.67% and a net margin of 6.21%. The company had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $913.59 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. MKS's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a $0.22 dividend. 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 is currently 26.27%.

Insider Activity

In other MKS news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,159,955. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MKSI. Mizuho increased their target price 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded MKS from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on MKS from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $120.00.

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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