Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV Increases Stock Holdings in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV lifted its position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 8.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 40,366 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,210 shares during the period. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV owned about 0.06% of MKS worth $3,235,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of MKS by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,515,373 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $281,758,000 after buying an additional 173,945 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in MKS by 9.7% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in MKS by 41.8% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,250,085 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $260,494,000 after acquiring an additional 958,607 shares in the last quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in MKS by 52.9% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP increased its holdings in MKS by 18.5% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of MKSI stock traded down $0.40 on Friday, hitting $115.60. The stock had a trading volume of 746,007 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,171,730. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $102.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.74. MKS Inc. has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $125.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The company has a market cap of $7.76 billion, a PE ratio of 29.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.94.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $973.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $931.05 million. MKS had a return on equity of 20.65% and a net margin of 7.11%.The company's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.53 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate 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, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. MKS's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.34%.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total transaction of $29,955.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 19,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,923,410.55. This represents a 1.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $2,159,955. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,600 shares of company stock worth $267,585. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a report on Friday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group began 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 raised their target price on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, MKS presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.