MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Purchased by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 188.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 166,430 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 108,724 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.25% of MKS worth $13,339,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in MKS during the 4th quarter worth $85,451,000. Shapiro Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,228,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MKS in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,312,000. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS by 158.5% during the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 367,437 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $38,357,000 after acquiring an additional 225,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of MKS by 46.9% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 626,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $65,365,000 after buying an additional 199,795 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS

In other MKS news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the business'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 transaction of $210,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,159,955. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MKS Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded down $1.37 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $103.34. 695,135 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,050,962. The business has a 50 day moving average of $94.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $92.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 3.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. 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 $6.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.85, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.88.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share 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 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. MKS's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on MKS from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of MKS from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MKS presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $118.80.

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.