Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Buys New Holdings in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• Verdence Capital Advisors initiated a position in MKS Inc. during the third quarter, purchasing 13,594 shares valued at approximately $3.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 99.79% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $374.86, despite several firms recently lowering their targets.
• MKS reported quarterly earnings of $3.30 per share, exceeding estimates, while revenue rose 28.3% year over year to $1.25 billion. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, yielding about 0.5%.

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 13,594 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $3,607,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maxi Investments CY Ltd boosted its stake in shares of MKS by 130.5% in the 3rd quarter. Maxi Investments CY Ltd now owns 4,510 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,197,000 after buying an additional 2,553 shares during the last quarter. Leo Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS in the third quarter worth $272,000. Capelight Capital Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in MKS during the third quarter valued at $3,184,000. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in MKS by 390.9% during the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 15,352 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $4,074,000 after acquiring an additional 12,225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in MKS in the third quarter valued at about $80,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on MKSI shares. Citigroup raised their target price on MKS from $425.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on MKS from $345.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $360.00 price target on shares of MKS in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of MKS from $360.00 to $330.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a report on Monday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $374.86.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.01, for a total transaction of $3,020,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 134,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,703,699.76. The trade was a 6.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John Williams sold 457 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.31, for a total value of $131,757.67. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,181,494.38. This trade represents a 10.03% 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 10,757 shares of company stock valued at $3,227,146 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

MKS Price Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $212.16 on Wednesday. MKS Inc. has a one year low of $134.74 and a one year high of $447.62. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $252.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $276.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.84 and a beta of 2.03.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $1.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.77 earnings per share. MKS's revenue for the quarter was up 28.3% on a year-over-year basis. MKS has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.890 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that MKS Inc. will post 13.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 25th. MKS's payout ratio is presently 15.95%.

MKS Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc NASDAQ: MKSI develops technologies that enable precision control and measurement in manufacturing and research environments. The company provides instruments, components, systems and process-control solutions used to measure and control pressure, flow, vacuum, gas delivery, temperature and other critical production conditions.

Its product portfolio includes vacuum solutions, pressure and flow-control instruments, gas and vapor delivery systems, plasma and reactive-gas technologies, power delivery systems, process-monitoring equipment, analytical instruments and materials-characterization tools.

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