NFJ Investment Group LLC Grows Stock Position in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• NFJ Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in MKS Inc. by 344.5% during the first quarter, owning approximately 0.09% of the company, valued at $4.8 million.
• MKS Inc. reported $1.77 earnings per share for the most recent quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and reflecting a 9.7% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• Analysts have a generally positive outlook on MKS, with eight ratings classified as Buy, indicating confidence in the company’s growth potential.

NFJ Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 344.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 60,094 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 46,575 shares during the quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC owned about 0.09% of MKS worth $4,817,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Comerica Bank increased its holdings in shares of MKS by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 25,873 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $2,701,000 after acquiring an additional 2,313 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of MKS by 114.7% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 4,911 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $513,000 after acquiring an additional 2,624 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MKS by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 190,128 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $19,847,000 after buying an additional 12,942 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of MKS by 26.1% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 92,932 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $9,701,000 after buying an additional 19,244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in shares of MKS by 49.9% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 23,439 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $2,447,000 after buying an additional 7,806 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Stock Up 4.1%

Shares of MKS stock traded up $4.55 on Thursday, hitting $115.15. The company had a trading volume of 476,189 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,167,657. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.94. MKS Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $125.33. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $102.22 and a 200-day moving average of $89.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.99.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.53 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.34%.

Insider Activity at MKS

In related 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,092,490.20. This trade represents a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,159,955. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,600 shares of company stock valued at $267,585. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on MKS in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.