MKS Inc. $MKSI Shares Purchased by Millennium Management LLC

Key Points

• Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in MKS Inc. by 132.2%, owning approximately 0.81% of the company's shares, worth about $43.7 million as of the latest filing.
• MKS Inc. reported earnings of $1.77 per share for the latest quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of $1.61 and showing a revenue increase of 9.7% year-over-year.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 0.8%, with a payout ratio of 22.34%.

Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 132.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 545,109 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 310,314 shares during the quarter. Millennium Management LLC owned about 0.81% of MKS worth $43,690,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Arbitrage LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,381,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS by 19.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 70,211 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $5,534,000 after purchasing an additional 11,403 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS during the 1st quarter valued at about $278,000. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of MKS by 28.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 524,837 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $42,066,000 after buying an additional 115,496 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harber Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS during the 1st quarter valued at about $6,584,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on MKSI. Zacks Research cut MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Mizuho increased their price target on MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 7th. Eight equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, MKS presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $119.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS

In other MKS news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total transaction of $27,630.00. Following the sale, the director owned 11,862 shares in the company, valued at $1,092,490.20. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total value of $29,955.00. Following the sale, the director owned 19,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,923,410.55. This trade represents a 1.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,600 shares of company stock worth $267,585 over the last quarter. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MKS Trading Down 0.8%

MKS stock traded down $0.90 during trading on Friday, reaching $115.10. 1,321,788 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 923,663. MKS Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.84 and a 52-week high of $125.33. The company has a market capitalization of $7.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.21, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 2.99 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $102.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $89.81.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $973.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.05 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.53 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. MKS's payout ratio is currently 22.34%.

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.