Cetera Investment Advisers Decreases Position in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Cetera Investment Advisers trimmed its holdings in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,367 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 1,232 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in MKS were worth $2,421,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in MKS during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Steph & Co. bought a new stake in MKS in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in shares of MKS during the second quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its stake in shares of MKS by 25.0% during the second quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 625 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 1,168.3% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 799 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $158.74 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $139.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 2.99 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.66 billion, a PE ratio of 40.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 2.00. MKS Inc. has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $160.18.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $988.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $963.87 million. MKS had a return on equity of 20.65% and a net margin of 7.11%.The business’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.72 EPS. MKS has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.930-2.610 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 24th. MKS’s payout ratio is 21.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on shares of MKS from $136.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MKS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on MKS from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on MKS from $92.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $151.00 target price on shares of MKS in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $159.64.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In other MKS news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $650,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 15,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,024,230. This represents a 24.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total transaction of $29,955.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,923,410.55. This represents a 1.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 5,600 shares of company stock valued at $716,597 in the last three months. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.