SG Americas Securities LLC Has $282,000 Position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its position in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 9.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,517 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 366 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in MKS were worth $282,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in MKS by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS by 424.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in MKS by 24,900.0% during the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in MKS by 89.3% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on MKS from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on MKS from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded MKS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $130.82.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $100.27 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $84.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.63. The company has a market cap of $6.76 billion, a PE ratio of 29.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 3.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. MKS Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $147.40.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. MKS had a return on equity of 20.67% and a net margin of 6.21%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.18 EPS. On average, analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. MKS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.27%.

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.