MKS Inc. $MKSI Stake Lowered by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH trimmed its position in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 21.5% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 8,543 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 2,342 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in MKS were worth $849,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of MKS during the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Steph & Co. bought a new stake in shares of MKS in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in MKS in the second quarter worth approximately $46,000. Optimum Investment Advisors raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. bought a new position in MKS during the second quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at MKS

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.14, for a total transaction of $36,642.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,562 shares in the company, valued at $1,412,182.68. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total value of $29,955.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 5,600 shares of company stock worth $716,597 in the last 90 days. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of MKS from $136.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of MKS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 20th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $151.00 target price on shares of MKS in a report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on MKS from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $159.64.

MKS Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $152.02 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.21 billion, a PE ratio of 38.58, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 2.00. MKS Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $160.18. 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $138.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $112.46.

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

MKS Announces Dividend

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

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.