MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Purchased by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 0.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,450,615 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,659 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 11.05% of MKS worth $597,167,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Madison Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MKS by 52.9% during the 1st quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 1,428,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $114,466,000 after buying an additional 494,207 shares during the last quarter. Shapiro Capital Management LLC bought a new position in MKS in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,228,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in MKS by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,388,639 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $271,599,000 after buying an additional 300,356 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MKS during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,312,000. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of MKS by 158.5% during the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 367,437 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $38,357,000 after purchasing an additional 225,285 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Trading Down 4.3%

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded down $4.51 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $100.22. 1,054,933 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,099,695. The company's 50 day moving average price is $99.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.09. MKS Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $125.33. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.86.

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, topping the consensus estimate 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.53 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on MKSI. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $90.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of MKS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.80.

Insider Activity at MKS

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total value of $27,630.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,092,490.20. The trade was a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,159,955. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

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.