Strs Ohio Has $6.97 Million Stock Position in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Strs Ohio raised its position in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 32.5% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 70,100 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,206 shares during the period. Strs Ohio’s holdings in MKS were worth $6,965,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new position in MKS during the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Optimum Investment Advisors raised its position in MKS by 66.7% during the first quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Steph & Co. acquired a new position in MKS during the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its position in MKS by 1,168.3% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 799 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its position in MKS by 79.2% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 828 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of MKS stock opened at $143.71 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. MKS Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $147.31. The stock has a market cap of $9.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.97. The company’s fifty day moving average is $124.64 and its 200 day moving average is $103.15.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.16. MKS had a net margin of 7.11% and a return on equity of 20.65%. The company had revenue of $973.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $931.05 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.53 earnings per share. MKS’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MKSI shares. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of MKS from $118.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on shares of MKS from $130.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $175.00 price target on shares of MKS and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of MKS from $92.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.14, for a total transaction of $36,642.00. Following the sale, the director owned 11,562 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,412,182.68. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Philip Henry sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $650,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,571 shares in the company, valued at $2,024,230. This trade represents a 24.31% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 5,600 shares of company stock valued at $716,597 over the last 90 days. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About MKS

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.