Cwm LLC Grows Position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Cwm LLC increased its holdings in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 64.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,574 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,012 shares during the period. Cwm LLC’s holdings in MKS were worth $206,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,445,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $777,283,000 after acquiring an additional 97,392 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,291,478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $239,207,000 after acquiring an additional 6,715 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,231,467 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $232,943,000 after acquiring an additional 6,964 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of MKS in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $85,451,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 46.9% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 626,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $65,365,000 after acquiring an additional 199,795 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MKS Trading Down 0.0%

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $99.50 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $6.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.88. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $95.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.63. MKS Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $128.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 3.11 and a quick ratio of 1.96.

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

MKS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. MKS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.27%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 20,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,159,955. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MKSI. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on MKS in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Mizuho increased their price target on MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on MKS from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $120.00.

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.