MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.22

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, November 4th,Zacks Dividends reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a dividend of 0.22 per share by the scientific and technical instruments company on Friday, December 6th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th.

MKS Instruments has increased its dividend by an average of 3.2% annually over the last three years. MKS Instruments has a payout ratio of 11.2% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect MKS Instruments to earn $7.42 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.88 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 11.9%.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $114.92 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $107.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $118.45. The company has a market cap of $7.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 255.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. MKS Instruments has a twelve month low of $77.25 and a twelve month high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that MKS Instruments will post 6.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at $2,079,805.98. This represents a 1.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments 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 transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKSI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. 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 report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Mizuho raised MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.09.

About MKS Instruments

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.