Machina Capital S.A.S. Makes New Investment in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Machina Capital S.A.S. bought a new stake in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 5,747 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,525,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of MKS by 47.5% during the 2nd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 917 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $408,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MKS in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. North Dakota State Investment Board increased its position in shares of MKS by 2.9% in the third quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board now owns 2,054 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $545,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of MKS by 2.9% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,252 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,002,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Stock Down 2.0%

MKS stock opened at $221.50 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.98 billion, a PE ratio of 26.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 2.14. The company’s 50-day moving average is $237.40 and its 200-day moving average is $276.98. MKS Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $134.74 and a fifty-two week high of $447.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $4.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.55. MKS had a net margin of 12.64% and a return on equity of 28.77%. The business had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.93 EPS. MKS’s revenue was up 43.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 14.46 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 25th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 25th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. MKS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.86%.

MKS declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, November 4th that allows the company to buy back $500 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the scientific and technical instruments company to repurchase up to 3.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on MKS from $390.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings downgraded MKS from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on MKS from $345.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on MKS from $360.00 to $330.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded MKS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $366.77.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.96, for a total value of $75,288.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,729,341.20. This trade represents a 1.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MKS Company Profile

MKS Inc. develops technologies used to manufacture semiconductor devices and other advanced products. Its offerings include instruments, components, subsystems and systems that measure and control pressure, gas flow, gas composition, power and other process conditions. The company also provides laser and photonics technologies, motion-control solutions, and specialty chemicals and plating equipment. These products support semiconductor fabrication and packaging, electronics manufacturing, life sciences and a range of industrial applications.