Insider Selling: 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 MKS Instruments stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,146,048.40. This represents a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI opened at $112.55 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 250.11, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $90.90 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42. The company has a fifty day moving average of $108.65 and a 200 day moving average of $117.04.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Citigroup downgraded MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Finally, 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 research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.42.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Key Financial Inc purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth about $39,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. BOKF NA purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments during the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 62.6% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

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.