Dark Forest Capital Management LP Acquires Shares of 975 MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Posted by Defense World Staff on Sep 8th, 2023

Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI – Free Report) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 975 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $86,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 19.1% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 692 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Eqis Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 4.7% in the first quarter. Eqis Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,811 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $422,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 3.2% in the first quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 4,114 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $365,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.3% in the first quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 45,890 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $4,067,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Finally, Ronald Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 73.0% in the first quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 353 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. 99.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.49, for a total value of $27,122.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,612 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,910,725.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.49, for a total value of $27,122.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,612 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,910,725.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 11,563 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.23, for a total value of $1,170,522.49. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,738 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,326,367.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 47,063 shares of company stock valued at $4,654,057 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $93.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.27 and a quick ratio of 2.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.56 and a beta of 1.56. The company’s 50-day moving average is $101.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.51. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.77 and a 1-year high of $114.15.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $983.48 million. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 45.65% and a positive return on equity of 10.78%. MKS Instruments’s revenue was up 31.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.59 EPS. Analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 3.72 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 28th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $113.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Benchmark lifted their price target on MKS Instruments from $105.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 22nd. StockNews.com assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.10.

Check Out Our Latest Report on MKS Instruments

MKS Instruments Company Profile

(Free Report)

MKS Instruments, Inc provides foundational technology solutions to semiconductor manufacturing, electronics and packaging, and specialty industrial applications in the United States, Germany, China, and internationally. It operates through Vacuum Solutions Division, Photonics Solutions Division, and Material Solutions Division.