MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Position Raised by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 9.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,388,639 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 300,356 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 5.02% of MKS worth $271,599,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd bought a new position in shares of MKS in the first quarter worth $2,557,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in MKS by 79.2% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 828 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in MKS by 64.8% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,574 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $206,000 after buying an additional 1,012 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in MKS by 1.1% during the first quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,900 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,515,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in MKS by 188.4% during the first quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 166,430 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $13,339,000 after buying an additional 108,724 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In other news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly 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 at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

MKS Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded up $0.77 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $104.71. 661,623 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,050,967. MKS Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $133.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.26, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.88. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $94.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $92.19.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. MKS had a return on equity of 20.67% and a net margin of 6.21%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. MKS's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on MKS in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. 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 research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Mizuho raised their target price on MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on MKS from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $118.80.

MKS Company 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.