15,682 Shares in MKS Inc. $MKSI Acquired by Jump Financial LLC

Key Points

• Jump Financial LLC has made a new investment of approximately $1.26 million in MKS Inc. by acquiring 15,682 shares during the first quarter of the year.
• MKS recently reported EPS of $1.77, exceeding estimates, with a revenue of $973 million, marking a 9.7% year-over-year increase.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22, representing a 0.8% yield, to be paid to investors of record on August 25th.

Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 15,682 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $1,257,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in MKS by 1.0% during 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 purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors raised its stake in MKS by 66.7% during 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 last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System raised its stake 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 valued at $1,294,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised 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 purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 205 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MKSI shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Zacks Research lowered shares of MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of MKS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MKS has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $119.80.

MKS Price Performance

NASDAQ MKSI traded down $1.43 on Wednesday, hitting $100.52. 72,786 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,170,631. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $101.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.51. The company has a market cap of $6.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. MKS Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.84 and a 1-year high of $125.33.

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

MKS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. MKS's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.34%.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In other MKS news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were 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 represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total transaction of $27,630.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,092,490.20. The trade was a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.51% 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.