Strs Ohio Sells 35,602 Shares of MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• Strs Ohio cut its MKS stake by 44.1% in the first quarter, selling 35,602 shares and leaving it with 45,201 shares valued at about $10.4 million.
• Insider selling has been notable, with director Joseph B. Donahue and CAO Michelle M. Mccarthy both selling shares; insiders have sold a total of 53,949 shares worth $17.4 million over the last three months.
• Analysts remain generally positive on MKS, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $374.07, even as targets range widely from $265 to $600.

Strs Ohio reduced its stake in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 44.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 45,201 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 35,602 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio owned about 0.07% of MKS worth $10,388,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in MKS in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in MKS by 560.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in MKS by 616.7% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 172 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of MKS during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS by 55.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 256 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS

In related news, Director Joseph B. Donahue sold 2,100 shares of MKS stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.95, for a total value of $688,695.00. Following the sale, the director owned 10,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,290,322.35. The trade was a 17.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michelle M. Mccarthy sold 2,434 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.23, for a total value of $767,269.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2 shares of the company's stock, valued at $630.46. This represents a 99.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 53,949 shares of company stock valued at $17,446,108 in the last three months. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on MKSI shares. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on MKS from $400.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of MKS in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $453.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "sell" rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Mizuho set a $400.00 price objective on MKS in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $374.07.

MKS Price Performance

MKSI opened at $365.56 on Monday. MKS Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $88.49 and a fifty-two week high of $447.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The company's 50-day moving average is $335.39 and its 200 day moving average is $262.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 76.48, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.93.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.00 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.05 billion. MKS had a net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 21.49%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.71 EPS. MKS has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.600-3.200 EPS. Research analysts expect that MKS Inc. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 3rd were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 3rd. MKS's payout ratio is 20.92%.

MKS Company Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc NASDAQ: MKSI designs, manufactures and markets technology solutions that enable advanced processes in a variety of high‐technology and industrial markets. The company's core offerings include vacuum and gas delivery systems, pressure and flow measurement instruments, optical metrology tools, photonics subsystems and critical components for manufacturing processes. These products support the precise control and monitoring needs of semiconductor, industrial manufacturing, life and health sciences, and research applications.

The company's product portfolio features mass flow controllers, pressure transducers, vacuum gauges, gas purity monitors, laser-based metrology systems and photonic devices such as lasers and detectors.

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