QRG Capital Management Inc. Grows Stake in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• QRG Capital Management Inc. has increased its stake in MKS Inc. by 52.3%, now owning 7,256 shares valued at approximately $721,000.
• MKS Inc. reported earnings of $1.77 per share, exceeding analysts' estimates of $1.61 and marking a 9.7% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, contributing to an annualized yield of 0.7%.

QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 52.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,256 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,492 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in MKS were worth $721,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in MKS by 41.8% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,250,085 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $260,494,000 after buying an additional 958,607 shares in the last quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in MKS during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $44,320,000. Madison Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in MKS by 52.9% during the 1st quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 1,428,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $114,466,000 after buying an additional 494,207 shares in the last quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP grew its holdings in MKS by 138.3% during the 1st quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP now owns 708,021 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $56,748,000 after buying an additional 410,865 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in MKS by 132.2% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 545,109 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $43,690,000 after buying an additional 310,314 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $134.26 on Friday. MKS Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.84 and a 52-week high of $142.20. 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 capitalization of $9.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.97. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $112.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $95.21.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.16. MKS had a return on equity of 20.65% and a net margin of 7.11%.The firm had revenue of $973.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $931.05 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.53 EPS. MKS's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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 paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of MKS in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a report on Friday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on MKS from $92.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.30.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $650,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,024,230. This trade represents a 24.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.14, for a total value of $36,642.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,562 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,412,182.68. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 5,900 shares of company stock valued at $744,227. 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.

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