Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. Reduces Stock Holdings in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. reduced its holdings in shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) by 23.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,234 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 11,235 shares during the period. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.’s holdings in MKS were worth $8,557,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in MKS in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in shares of MKS by 560.0% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in MKS by 616.7% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 172 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in MKS in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in MKS by 55.2% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 256 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $324.28 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. MKS Inc. has a 12 month low of $88.49 and a 12 month high of $447.62. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $348.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $277.20. The stock has a market cap of $21.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.84, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.93.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.00 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.05 billion. MKS had a net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 21.49%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.71 EPS. MKS has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.600-3.200 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 11.77 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 3rd were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 3rd. MKS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.92%.

Insider Activity at MKS

In other news, Director Gerald G. Colella sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.40, for a total value of $6,668,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,673,667.80. The trade was a 49.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Joseph B. Donahue sold 2,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.95, for a total value of $688,695.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 10,033 shares in the company, valued at $3,290,322.35. The trade was a 17.31% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 53,949 shares of company stock worth $17,446,108 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MKSI shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “sell” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup upped their target price on MKS from $290.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. KeyCorp raised their target price on MKS from $360.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on MKS from $380.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $380.00.

MKS Company Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc (NASDAQ: MKSI) designs, manufactures and markets technology solutions that enable advanced processes in a variety of high‐technology and industrial markets. The company’s core offerings include vacuum and gas delivery systems, pressure and flow measurement instruments, optical metrology tools, photonics subsystems and critical components for manufacturing processes. These products support the precise control and monitoring needs of semiconductor, industrial manufacturing, life and health sciences, and research applications.

The company’s product portfolio features mass flow controllers, pressure transducers, vacuum gauges, gas purity monitors, laser-based metrology systems and photonic devices such as lasers and detectors.