Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 19,119 Shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in MKS Inc. by 6.8% in the first quarter, now owning approximately $21.17 million worth of shares.
• MKS Inc. recently reported earnings of $1.71 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, with a 7.8% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The firm announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, reflecting a 0.9% annual yield and a payout ratio of 26.27%.

Natixis Advisors LLC lessened its stake in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 6.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 264,124 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 19,119 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.39% of MKS worth $21,170,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its stake in MKS by 66.7% in the 1st quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in MKS by 89.3% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS by 79.2% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 828 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of MKS by 1,330.9% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 787 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 732 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in MKS in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $89,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on MKSI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of MKS from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $90.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of MKS from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $120.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the firm's 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

MKS Price Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI traded down $2.43 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $92.75. 1,439,071 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 987,740. MKS Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.84 and a 1-year high of $125.33. The firm's 50-day moving average is $96.48 and its 200-day moving average is $91.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 3.11 and a quick ratio of 1.96. The stock has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.86.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 EPS. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. MKS's payout ratio is 26.27%.

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.