Royal Bank of Canada Has $42.07 Million Stock Position in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in MKS Inc. by 28.2% during the first quarter, now owning approximately 0.78% of the company with shares valued at $42,066,000.
• Several hedge funds have also increased their stakes in MKS, contributing to a total of 99.79% of the stock being owned by institutional investors.
• MKS reported earnings of $1.77 per share for the last quarter, surpassing estimates and reflecting a 9.7% year-over-year revenue increase.

Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 28.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 524,837 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 115,496 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 0.78% of MKS worth $42,066,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Comerica Bank boosted its holdings in MKS by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 25,873 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,701,000 after acquiring an additional 2,313 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in MKS by 114.7% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 4,911 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $513,000 after purchasing an additional 2,624 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in MKS by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 190,128 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $19,847,000 after buying an additional 12,942 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in MKS by 26.1% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 92,932 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $9,701,000 after buying an additional 19,244 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in MKS by 49.9% during the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 23,439 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,447,000 after buying an additional 7,806 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Stock Up 4.3%

NASDAQ MKSI traded up $4.53 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $109.02. 1,573,164 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 855,314. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a PE ratio of 27.67, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. MKS Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $125.33. The company has a 50 day moving average of $101.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.35.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $973.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.05 million. MKS had a return on equity of 20.65% and a net margin of 7.11%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.53 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.34%.

Insider Activity at MKS

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total value of $29,955.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 19,263 shares in the company, valued at $1,923,410.55. This represents a 1.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were 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 represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,600 shares of company stock worth $267,585 over the last ninety days. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on MKSI shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on MKS in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.80.

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.