Gabelli Funds LLC Buys 7,940 Shares of MKS Inc. $MKSI

Gabelli Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 21.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,326 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,940 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in MKS were worth $4,504,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of MKS during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Steph & Co. bought a new stake in MKS during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in shares of MKS during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Optimum Investment Advisors grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 25.0% during the 2nd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 625 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of MKS in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $64,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of MKS stock opened at $165.19 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $144.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $117.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.10 billion, a PE ratio of 40.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.93. MKS Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.84 and a 52-week high of $167.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 2.86.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. MKS had a net margin of 7.25% and a return on equity of 20.80%. The firm had revenue of $988.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $963.87 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. MKS has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.930-2.610 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. MKS’s payout ratio is currently 21.36%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.81, for a total transaction of $47,643.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,011,514.03. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Philip Henry sold 5,000 shares of MKS 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 owned 15,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,024,230. The trade was a 24.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 5,600 shares of company stock valued at $734,285 over the last ninety days. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MKSI. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $151.00 price target on shares of MKS in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of MKS from $122.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Zacks Research lowered shares of MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of MKS from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $175.00 price objective on shares of MKS and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $159.64.

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.