MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Sells $27,225.00 in Stock

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $105.86 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.58, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The company has a market cap of $7.10 billion, a PE ratio of -3.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.63. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $112.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $122.64. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52 week low of $63.44 and a 52 week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 0.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.6 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3.30%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 143.1% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,141,676 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $282,102,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,792 shares in the last quarter. Shellback Capital LP acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth $34,541,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 219.5% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 348,024 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,445,000 after buying an additional 239,099 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at about $23,171,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 239.2% during the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 247,695 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $32,344,000 after acquiring an additional 174,675 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.09.

MKS Instruments 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.