Hantz Financial Services Inc. Trims Holdings in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• Hantz Financial Services cut its stake in MKS Inc. by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,621 shares and leaving it with 24,383 shares valued at about $3.9 million.
• Analyst sentiment on MKS remains mostly positive, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.77, even though Goldman Sachs maintained a sell rating.
• MKS reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and the stock was trading near its 52-week high after rising 4.2% to $334.11.

Hantz Financial Services Inc. trimmed its position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 12.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,383 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 3,621 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.'s holdings in MKS were worth $3,896,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Penserra Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in MKS by 43.4% in the 3rd quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 295,963 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $36,631,000 after purchasing an additional 89,502 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in MKS in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,020,000. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC purchased a new position in MKS in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,618,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its holdings in MKS by 553.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 7,371 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $912,000 after purchasing an additional 6,243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First National Bank of Omaha purchased a new position in MKS in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,668,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on MKSI. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of MKS from $354.00 to $374.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of MKS from $305.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "sell" rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Mizuho set a $320.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $318.77.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Peter Cannone III sold 1,350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.40, for a total transaction of $409,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 7,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,364,699.60. This represents a 14.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $312.20, for a total transaction of $312,200.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,775 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,739,555. This trade represents a 10.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,123 shares of company stock worth $9,647,743. Insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

MKS Trading Up 4.2%

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $334.11 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $22.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.90, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.98. MKS Inc. has a 1-year low of $80.22 and a 1-year high of $334.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $270.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $221.35.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.00 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.05 billion. MKS had a net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 21.49%. The company's revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.71 EPS. MKS has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.600-3.200 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that MKS Inc. will post 11.15 EPS for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 3rd. MKS's dividend payout ratio is 20.92%.

MKS Company Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc NASDAQ: MKSI designs, manufactures and markets technology solutions that enable advanced processes in a variety of high‐technology and industrial markets. The company's core offerings include vacuum and gas delivery systems, pressure and flow measurement instruments, optical metrology tools, photonics subsystems and critical components for manufacturing processes. These products support the precise control and monitoring needs of semiconductor, industrial manufacturing, life and health sciences, and research applications.

The company's product portfolio features mass flow controllers, pressure transducers, vacuum gauges, gas purity monitors, laser-based metrology systems and photonic devices such as lasers and detectors.

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