Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. Purchases New Shares in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. has acquired a new stake in MKS Inc. by purchasing 3,604 shares worth approximately $358,000 during the second quarter.
• MKS Inc. recently reported earnings of $1.77 per share, beating analyst estimates and showing a revenue increase of 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, translating to an annualized dividend of $0.88 and a yield of 0.6%.

Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,604 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $358,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System boosted its position in MKS by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 16,140 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,294,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its stake in MKS by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,900 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,515,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its holdings in shares of MKS by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $631,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS by 89.3% in the 1st 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Stock Up 4.0%

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $136.54 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $108.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.99. MKS Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $137.14. The company has a market capitalization of $9.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.65, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.97.

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

MKS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on MKSI. Morgan Stanley boosted 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on shares of MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of MKS in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $90.00 price objective on the stock. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.80.

Insider Activity at MKS

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total value of $29,955.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,923,410.55. This trade represents a 1.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.14, for a total value of $36,642.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,562 shares in the company, valued at $1,412,182.68. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,900 shares of company stock valued at $744,227. Corporate insiders own 0.57% 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.

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