Teacher Retirement System of Texas Takes $789,000 Position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 9,838 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $789,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in MKS by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in MKS in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in MKS in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of MKS by 89.3% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its position in shares of MKS by 24,900.0% during the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 498 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Stock Performance

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $104.68 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $91.58 and its 200-day moving average is $92.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 3.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The firm has a market cap of $7.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.88. MKS Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $145.59.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 20.67%. The firm had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $913.59 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. MKS’s payout ratio is currently 26.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKSI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of MKS in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They set 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 objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of MKS from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Mizuho raised 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

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. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

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.