MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Sells $34,440.00 in Stock

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,146,048.40. This represents a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

NASDAQ MKSI traded up $2.65 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $113.56. 601,649 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 821,409. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $108.20 and a 200-day moving average of $117.23. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $85.25 and a one year high of $147.40. The stock has a market cap of $7.64 billion, a PE ratio of 246.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The company had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 195.56%.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 23.0% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 937 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $122,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the second quarter valued at $691,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 1.0% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,685 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,570,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth about $249,000. Finally, Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,542,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on MKSI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.09.

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.