MKS Inc. $MKSI Stock Position Lifted by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in MKS Inc. by 8.5% in the first quarter, now owning 30,985 shares valued at approximately $2.48 million.
• Wall Street analysts have varying opinions on MKS, with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $119.80, while Wells Fargo recently raised its target for the stock to $108.00.
• MKS announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, with the payout set for September 5th, representing an annualized yield of 0.8%.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 8.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,985 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,437 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in MKS were worth $2,484,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in MKS by 9.7% during 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 acquiring an additional 300,356 shares during the last quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 494,207 shares during the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP increased its stake in MKS by 18.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 161,905 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in MKS by 7.3% during the first quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 793,244 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $63,579,000 after acquiring an additional 53,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in MKS by 7.8% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 718,239 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $57,567,000 after acquiring an additional 51,836 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Stock Up 1.7%

MKSI traded up $1.84 on Thursday, reaching $107.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 700,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,180,197. The stock has a market cap of $7.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.86. MKS Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $125.33. 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 business's 50 day moving average is $100.74 and its 200 day moving average is $89.76.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $973.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.05 million. MKS had a return on equity of 20.65% and a net margin of 7.11%.MKS's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.53 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at MKS

In other MKS news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,092,490.20. This trade represents a 2.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho upped their price target on MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Zacks Research lowered MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $119.80.

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.