MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Sells $836,240.00 in Stock

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 4.4 %

Shares of MKSI opened at $103.09 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.94 billion, a PE ratio of 36.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $110.03 and a 200 day moving average of $110.05. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.54 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 9,748 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,018,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $224,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,952,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,068 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Benchmark reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.08.

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.