Impact Partnership Wealth LLC Takes Position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Impact Partnership Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,970 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $238,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new position in MKS during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Optimum Investment Advisors grew its position in shares of MKS by 66.7% during the first quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 89.3% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of MKS by 24,900.0% during the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on MKS from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Mizuho increased their target price on MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded MKS from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. One equities research 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.com, MKS has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $120.00.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of MKS stock traded down $2.40 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $100.02. 384,350 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,047,899. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $94.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.05. The stock has a market cap of $6.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.89, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.88. MKS Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $133.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 3.11.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $913.59 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. MKS's payout ratio is presently 26.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 20,571 shares in the company, valued at $2,159,955. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.