NFJ Investment Group LLC Takes $16.32 Million Position in MKS Inc. $MKSI

NFJ Investment Group LLC bought a new position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 36,697 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,323,000. NFJ Investment Group LLC owned approximately 0.05% of MKS as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 267,421 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $21,434,000 after purchasing an additional 9,170 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MKS by 63.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 838 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of MKS by 3,545.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 141,267 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $14,036,000 after acquiring an additional 137,392 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,676,000. Finally, AXA S.A. grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 22.8% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 29,253 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,907,000 after purchasing an additional 5,430 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Joseph B. Donahue sold 2,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.95, for a total transaction of $688,695.00. Following the sale, the director owned 10,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,290,322.35. The trade was a 17.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.01, for a total transaction of $3,020,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 134,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,703,699.76. The trade was a 6.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 37,491 shares of company stock worth $12,102,072 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of MKS from $425.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on MKS from $360.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Mizuho set a $360.00 price target on MKS in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of MKS in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $453.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $385.00.

MKS Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of MKS stock opened at $281.88 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $343.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $294.36. The company has a market cap of $19.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.96, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.98. MKS Inc. has a 12-month low of $97.50 and a 12-month high of $447.62.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.39. MKS had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The firm had revenue of $1.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.77 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 28.3% compared to the same quarter last year. MKS has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.890 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 12.96 EPS for the current year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. MKS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.95%.

MKS Company Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc (NASDAQ: MKSI) designs, manufactures and markets technology solutions that enable advanced processes in a variety of high‐technology and industrial markets. The company’s core offerings include vacuum and gas delivery systems, pressure and flow measurement instruments, optical metrology tools, photonics subsystems and critical components for manufacturing processes. These products support the precise control and monitoring needs of semiconductor, industrial manufacturing, life and health sciences, and research applications.

The company’s product portfolio features mass flow controllers, pressure transducers, vacuum gauges, gas purity monitors, laser-based metrology systems and photonic devices such as lasers and detectors.