MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) EVP Sells $213,678.00 in Stock

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares in the company, valued at $1,543.23. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 3.4 %

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $121.02 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a current ratio of 3.69. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $126.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.97. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $63.44 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The stock has a market cap of $8.11 billion, a PE ratio of -4.53, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.65.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 48.24% and a positive return on equity of 13.90%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is -3.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MKSI shares. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, August 5th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp raised their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $146.63.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 180,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $18,544,000 after buying an additional 9,962 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the first quarter worth approximately $918,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth approximately $117,672,000. Crestline Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,498,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.1% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 78,093 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $10,387,000 after purchasing an additional 5,184 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.