Roubaix Capital LLC Lowers Holdings in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• Roubaix Capital LLC has reduced its holdings in MKS Inc. by 41.8%, currently owning 31,531 shares valued at approximately $2.5 million after selling 22,614 shares in the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors have increased their stakes in MKS Inc., with Madison Asset Management LLC raising its holdings by 52.9% to 1,428,143 shares, now valued at over $114 million.
• MKS recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, with a yield of 0.9%, and has recorded a revenue increase of 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Roubaix Capital LLC lessened its stake in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 41.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,531 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 22,614 shares during the quarter. Roubaix Capital LLC's holdings in MKS were worth $2,527,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of MKS by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 11,943 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,247,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Optimum Investment Advisors grew its stake in MKS by 66.7% in the first quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its stake in MKS by 1.3% in the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 16,140 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,294,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in MKS by 1.1% in the first quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,900 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,515,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its holdings in MKS by 2.7% in the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $631,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,159,955. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total value of $27,630.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,092,490.20. The trade was a 2.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Mizuho increased their target price on MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen raised MKS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $119.80.

MKS Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded down $1.31 on Wednesday, reaching $99.37. The company had a trading volume of 900,779 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,195,019. MKS Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.84 and a 52-week high of $125.33. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $99.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $89.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.67 billion, a PE ratio of 25.22, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.86.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.05 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.53 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. MKS's payout ratio is 22.34%.

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.