Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV Buys 3,210 Shares of MKS Inc. $MKSI

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

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MKSI. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in MKS by 114.7% in 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 buying an additional 2,624 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in MKS by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 190,128 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $19,847,000 after buying an additional 12,942 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in MKS by 26.1% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 92,932 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $9,701,000 after buying an additional 19,244 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in MKS by 49.9% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 23,439 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,447,000 after buying an additional 7,806 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its stake in MKS by 158.5% in the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 367,437 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $38,357,000 after buying an additional 225,285 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on MKSI shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of MKS in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.80.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of MKS stock traded down $0.90 on Friday, reaching $115.10. 1,321,788 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 910,320. The firm's 50 day moving average is $102.65 and its 200-day moving average is $89.82. MKS Inc. has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $125.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.99. The firm has a market cap of $7.73 billion, a PE ratio of 29.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 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. MKS had a net margin of 7.11% and a return on equity of 20.65%. The company had revenue of $973.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.05 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.53 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The company 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. 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 is 22.34%.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total value of $29,955.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 19,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,923,410.55. This represents a 1.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 transaction of $210,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,159,955. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,600 shares of company stock valued at $267,585. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

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.