MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stake Lessened by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV decreased its holdings in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 90.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,082 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 27,730 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in MKS were worth $247,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of MKS by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 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 valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew 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 valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised MKS from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on MKS from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on MKS from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on MKS from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $129.91.

Insider Activity at MKS

In other news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,159,955. This 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 this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

MKS Price Performance

NASDAQ MKSI traded up $1.25 on Wednesday, reaching $105.78. 985,535 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,057,678. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $90.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.26. 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 company has a market cap of $7.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.88. MKS Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $147.40.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

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.