Sculptor Capital LP Purchases Shares of 63,300 MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• Sculptor Capital LP acquired a new stake of 63,300 shares in MKS Inc., valued at approximately $5.07 million, during the first quarter.
• MKS Inc. recently reported quarterly earnings that exceeded expectations, with an EPS of $1.77 compared to the consensus estimate of $1.61, and revenue of $973 million, surpassing analyst expectations of $931.05 million.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 0.9%, with a payout ratio of 22.34%.

Sculptor Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 63,300 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $5,073,000. Sculptor Capital LP owned 0.09% of MKS at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 41.8% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,250,085 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $260,494,000 after buying an additional 958,607 shares in the last quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS during the first quarter worth about $44,320,000. Madison Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 52.9% during the first quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 1,428,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $114,466,000 after buying an additional 494,207 shares in the last quarter. Shapiro Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS during the fourth quarter worth about $48,228,000. Finally, Kodai Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 138.3% during the first quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP now owns 708,021 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $56,748,000 after buying an additional 410,865 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS news, 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 sale, the director owned 11,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,092,490.20. The trade was a 2.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the company's 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 sale, the director owned 19,263 shares in the company, valued at $1,923,410.55. This trade represents a 1.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,600 shares of company stock worth $267,585 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated 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 research note on Friday, August 8th. Mizuho lifted their target price on MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on MKS in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $119.80.

MKS Price Performance

NASDAQ MKSI traded up $0.87 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $101.11. The company had a trading volume of 155,862 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,169,987. The company has a market capitalization of $6.79 billion, a PE ratio of 25.64, a P/E/G 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $101.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $89.58. MKS Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $125.33.

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

MKS Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. MKS's payout ratio is currently 22.34%.

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.