Systematic Financial Management LP Acquires 2,557 Shares of MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• Systematic Financial Management LP has increased its position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 1.2% in the first quarter, now holding approximately 0.33% of the company worth $17.8 million.
• MKS reported earnings of $1.77 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenue of $973 million for the quarter, up 9.7% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, with a 0.8% dividend yield, and a payout ratio of 22.34%.

Systematic Financial Management LP raised its holdings in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 1.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 222,235 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,557 shares during the quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP owned about 0.33% of MKS worth $17,812,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Optimum Investment Advisors raised its position in shares of MKS by 66.7% in the first quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of MKS by 89.3% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in shares of MKS by 1,168.3% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 799 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of MKS by 79.2% in the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 828 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of MKS by 1,330.9% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 787 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 732 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the sale, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total transaction of $27,630.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,092,490.20. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

MKS Stock Performance

MKS stock traded down $0.87 on Wednesday, hitting $105.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 693,713 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,182,833. The firm has a market cap of $7.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $100.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $89.65. MKS Inc. has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $125.33.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $931.05 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.53 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. MKS's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.