Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Has $7.06 Million Stock Holdings in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 15.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 71,083 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,736 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned 0.11% of MKS worth $7,063,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in MKS by 112.7% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,529 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $251,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in MKS by 55.8% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 975 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in MKS during the 2nd quarter worth about $991,000. Wedmont Private Capital bought a new stake in MKS during the 2nd quarter worth about $280,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in MKS by 265.5% during the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 837 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 608 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of MKS stock opened at $121.81 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $106.49 and a 200-day moving average of $92.61. MKS Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.84 and a 1-year high of $132.44. 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 company has a market cap of $8.18 billion, a PE ratio of 30.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.94.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.16. MKS had a net margin of 7.11% and a return on equity of 20.65%. The business had revenue of $973.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $931.05 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.53 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. MKS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.34%.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total transaction of $29,955.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 19,263 shares in the company, valued at $1,923,410.55. This trade represents a 1.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 11,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,092,490.20. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,600 shares of company stock worth $917,585. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on MKSI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of MKS in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Mizuho boosted their price target on MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.80.

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.