Roubaix Capital LLC Sells 22,614 Shares of 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 reduced its stake in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 41.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,531 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 22,614 shares during the period. Roubaix Capital LLC's holdings in MKS were worth $2,527,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ethic Inc. raised its holdings in MKS by 7.2% during the first quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 17,863 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,434,000 after buying an additional 1,196 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC bought a new position in MKS during the first quarter valued at about $234,000. Sit Investment Associates Inc. raised its holdings in MKS by 1.8% during the first quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc. now owns 39,125 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,136,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. raised its holdings in MKS by 1.2% during the first quarter. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. now owns 73,174 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $5,865,000 after buying an additional 891 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in MKS by 8.5% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 30,985 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,484,000 after buying an additional 2,437 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $119.80.

Insider Activity at MKS

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total value of $27,630.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,862 shares in the company, valued at $1,092,490.20. The trade was a 2.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was 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 owned 20,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,159,955. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of MKSI traded up $6.43 on Friday, hitting $105.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 216,312 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,184,849. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 2.99 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $99.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.90. MKS Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $125.33. The company has a market capitalization of $7.11 billion, a PE ratio of 26.87, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.86.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 7.11% and a return on equity of 20.65%. The firm had revenue of $973.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $931.05 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.53 EPS. MKS's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date 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.