MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Sells $25,426.50 in Stock

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $85.53 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $82.11 and a one year high of $147.40. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $108.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.76 billion, a PE ratio of 30.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. On average, equities analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.43%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ABLE Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,669,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 39,464 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $4,120,000 after purchasing an additional 15,184 shares during the period. GTS Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 41.5% during the fourth quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 9,357 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $977,000 after buying an additional 2,745 shares during the last quarter. PharVision Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth approximately $261,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 20.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 258,251 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,959,000 after buying an additional 44,106 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark reduced their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.08.

About MKS Instruments

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.