Insider Selling: MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Sells $31,891.75 in Stock

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director now owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 3.8 %

MKSI opened at $104.43 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $122.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $124.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.91, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.65. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $63.44 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.58 and a quick ratio of 2.31.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 0.25%. MKS Instruments’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -3.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MKSI shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Bank of America assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 180,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $18,544,000 after buying an additional 9,962 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 1st quarter valued at about $918,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at about $117,672,000. Crestline Management LP acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,498,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in 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 worth $10,387,000 after purchasing an additional 5,184 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.