Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires New Position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH has invested $872,000 in 10,885 shares of MKS Inc. during the 1st quarter, indicating growing institutional interest in the company.
• Several other institutional investors, including the Teacher Retirement System of Texas and Schroder Investment Management Group, have also made substantial investments in MKS, reflecting a strong confidence in the firm's prospects.
• MKS recently received upgrades from analysts, with Deutsche Bank raising its rating to "buy" and setting a target price of $110.00, while Mizuho increased its price target to $118.00, indicating positive sentiment in the market.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought 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. The institutional investor bought 10,885 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $872,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MKSI. Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its stake in shares of MKS by 66.7% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of MKS by 89.3% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of MKS by 1,330.9% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 787 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of MKS by 79.2% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 828 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of MKS in the 4th quarter valued at $89,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Trading Down 2.6%

NASDAQ MKSI traded down $2.43 during trading on Friday, hitting $92.75. The company had a trading volume of 1,439,071 shares, compared to its average volume of 987,740. The company has a current ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. MKS Inc. has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $125.33. The company has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.86. The company's fifty day moving average is $96.48 and its 200-day moving average is $91.15.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $913.59 million. MKS had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 20.67%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict 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, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKSI has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $90.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of MKS from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of MKS from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target 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, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $120.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 value of $210,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,571 shares in the company, valued at $2,159,955. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.