Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Increases Stake in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management sharply increased its MKS stake by 76,880.9% in the second quarter, acquiring 172,982 additional shares and ending with a 0.26% ownership position valued at approximately $77 million. Institutional investors collectively own 99.79% of the company.
• MKS reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.30 versus the $2.91 consensus and revenue of $1.25 billion, up 28.3% year over year. The company also issued third-quarter EPS guidance of $3.27–$3.89.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with an overall “Moderate Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $382.86. MKS also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, representing a 0.4% annualized yield.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 76,880.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 173,207 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 172,982 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned 0.26% of MKS worth $77,043,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in MKS in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS by 560.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of MKS by 616.7% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 172 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKSI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. KeyCorp upped their price objective on MKS from $360.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of MKS from $360.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of MKS from $365.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of MKS from $360.00 to $330.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of MKS from $425.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $382.86.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $246.44 on Wednesday. MKS Inc. has a twelve month low of $97.50 and a twelve month high of $447.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.30, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.98. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $324.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $295.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. MKS had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.15%.The business's revenue was up 28.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.77 EPS. MKS has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.890 EPS. On average, analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 13.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS

In other news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 457 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.31, for a total transaction of $131,757.67. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,181,494.38. This trade represents a 10.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Michelle M. Mccarthy sold 2,434 shares of MKS stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.23, for a total transaction of $767,269.82. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2 shares in the company, valued at approximately $630.46. The trade was a 99.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,891 shares of company stock valued at $3,919,127. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

MKS Company Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc NASDAQ: MKSI designs, manufactures and markets technology solutions that enable advanced processes in a variety of high‐technology and industrial markets. The company's core offerings include vacuum and gas delivery systems, pressure and flow measurement instruments, optical metrology tools, photonics subsystems and critical components for manufacturing processes. These products support the precise control and monitoring needs of semiconductor, industrial manufacturing, life and health sciences, and research applications.

The company's product portfolio features mass flow controllers, pressure transducers, vacuum gauges, gas purity monitors, laser-based metrology systems and photonic devices such as lasers and detectors.

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