Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Purchases Shares of 4,866 MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Key Points

• Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd has acquired 4,866 shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI), valued at approximately $390,000, during the 1st quarter.
• MKS Inc. reported earnings of $1.71 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.42, with a revenue increase of 7.8% year-over-year.
• The company's recent quarterly dividend was declared at $0.22 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 0.86%.

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 4,866 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $390,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its position in MKS by 21.7% during the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 40,833 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,272,000 after buying an additional 7,292 shares in the last quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS during the first quarter worth about $238,000. Archer Investment Corp grew its stake in MKS by 27.7% in the first quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 3,970 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 860 shares in the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its stake in MKS by 18.5% in the first quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,038,945 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $83,271,000 after acquiring an additional 161,905 shares during the period. Finally, Tributary Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in MKS by 4.2% in the first quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 9,115 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $731,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on shares of MKS from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of MKS from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of MKS from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $120.00.

MKS Price Performance

MKS stock traded down $0.68 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $101.65. 854,282 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 844,012. The stock has a market cap of $6.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.88. MKS Inc. has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $127.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $95.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $91.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 3.11.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. MKS had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 20.67%. The company had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. MKS's payout ratio is currently 26.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,571 shares in the company, valued at $2,159,955. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.51% 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.