MKS Inc. $MKSI Shares Sold by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH reduced its stake in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 21.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor 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 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of MKS by 30.7% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 44,693 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $4,441,000 after buying an additional 10,495 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its holdings in MKS by 7.1% during the second quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 17,233 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,712,000 after acquiring an additional 1,146 shares during the period. Old West Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in MKS in the second quarter worth about $675,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its position in MKS by 5.0% in the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 25,404 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,524,000 after acquiring an additional 1,211 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in MKS by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,258,108 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $125,025,000 after acquiring an additional 35,065 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Stock Performance

MKS stock opened at $152.02 on Thursday. MKS Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $160.18. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $138.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 2.99 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The company has a market cap of $10.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 2.00.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.93 EPS 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 last year, the business posted $1.72 EPS. The company’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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on MKSI. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of MKS from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MKS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 20th. Zacks Research cut MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $151.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on MKS from $136.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $159.64.

Insider Activity at MKS

In related news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $650,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,024,230. This represents a 24.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.14, for a total value of $36,642.00. Following the sale, the director owned 11,562 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,412,182.68. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,600 shares of company stock valued at $716,597. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

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.