MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.43 EPS

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.43, Briefing.com reports. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 50.80% and a positive return on equity of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $868.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.94 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.48 earnings per share. MKS Instruments’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. MKS Instruments updated its Q2 guidance to $0.67-1.19 EPS and its Q2 2024 guidance to 0.670-1.190 EPS.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded up $3.90 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $127.28. 322,012 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 628,615. The stock has a market cap of $8.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.48, a PEG ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a current ratio of 3.18. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $123.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $105.06. MKS Instruments has a 12 month low of $63.44 and a 12 month high of $135.51.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TheStreet raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Benchmark raised their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.75.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.00, for a total transaction of $33,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 16,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,242,646. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $1,200,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 68,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,162,040. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.00, for a total transaction of $33,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 16,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,242,646. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 50,776 shares of company stock valued at $6,226,307. 0.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.