Madison Asset Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Madison Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 52.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,428,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 494,207 shares during the quarter. MKS makes up about 1.3% of Madison Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Madison Asset Management LLC owned 2.12% of MKS worth $114,466,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MKS by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,445,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $777,283,000 after buying an additional 97,392 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in MKS by 9.7% in the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,388,639 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $271,599,000 after purchasing an additional 300,356 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in MKS by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,291,478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $239,207,000 after purchasing an additional 6,715 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in MKS by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,231,467 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $232,943,000 after purchasing an additional 6,964 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP grew its stake in MKS by 18.5% in the first quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,038,945 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $83,271,000 after purchasing an additional 161,905 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Stock Down 0.0%

MKSI stock traded down $0.04 during trading on Friday, reaching $99.50. 583,969 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 883,358. MKS Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $128.20. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $95.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $91.90. The company has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.88. 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 data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $913.59 million. MKS had a return on equity of 20.67% and a net margin of 6.21%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MKSI. Mizuho increased their price objective on MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on MKS in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $90.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised MKS from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. 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 research note on Tuesday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $120.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS

In other news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,159,955. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MKS Profile

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.