Inspire Investing LLC Cuts Stock Position in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• Inspire Investing LLC has reduced its stake in MKS Inc. by 63.7%, owning 4,317 shares worth $346,000 following the sale of 7,583 shares.
• Several institutions increased their holdings in MKS, with Wellington Management raising theirs by 41.8% to own over 3.25 million shares valued at $260.5 million.
• MKS Inc. reported a 9.7% year-over-year revenue increase, earning $1.77 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations for the quarter.

Inspire Investing LLC reduced its position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 63.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,317 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 7,583 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC's holdings in MKS were worth $346,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MKSI. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in MKS by 41.8% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,250,085 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $260,494,000 after buying an additional 958,607 shares during the period. Channing Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in MKS during the first quarter worth about $44,320,000. Madison Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in MKS by 52.9% during the first quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 1,428,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $114,466,000 after purchasing an additional 494,207 shares during the last quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP lifted its stake in MKS by 138.3% during the first quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP now owns 708,021 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $56,748,000 after purchasing an additional 410,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in MKS by 132.2% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 545,109 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $43,690,000 after purchasing an additional 310,314 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total value of $29,955.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 19,263 shares in the company, valued at $1,923,410.55. This represents a 1.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total value of $27,630.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,092,490.20. This trade represents a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,600 shares of company stock valued at $917,585 in the last ninety days. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MKS Stock Down 1.0%

MKSI stock traded down $1.30 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $128.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,743,636 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,074,754. The company has a market cap of $8.64 billion, a PE ratio of 32.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.94. MKS Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $132.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The firm's 50-day moving average is $104.38 and its 200-day moving average is $90.98.

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

MKS Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. MKS's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, September 7th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Mizuho boosted 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, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on MKS in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $119.80.

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.