Pacer Advisors Inc. Has $408,000 Holdings in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in MKS Inc. by 67.4%, selling 10,520 shares, leaving them with 5,093 shares valued at approximately $408,000.
• Institutional investments in MKS increased as Madison Asset Management raised its position by 52.9%, now owning over 1.4 million shares worth roughly $114.5 million.
• MKS stock has a market cap of $6.26 billion and an annual dividend yield of 0.9% following a recently declared quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share.

Pacer Advisors Inc. lowered its position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 67.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,093 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 10,520 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in MKS were worth $408,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of MKS by 66.7% in the first quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in MKS by 89.3% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in MKS by 1,330.9% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 787 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in MKS by 79.2% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 828 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in MKS during the fourth quarter worth approximately $89,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Stock Performance

MKSI traded down $2.43 during trading on Friday, hitting $92.75. The stock had a trading volume of 1,439,071 shares, compared to its average volume of 987,740. The firm has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a PE ratio of 27.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.86. MKS Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $125.33. The company has a current ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $96.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $91.15.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $913.59 million. MKS had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 20.67%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.18 EPS. Analysts expect that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.27%.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In other MKS news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $2,159,955. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.