MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Down 3.8%

Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) dropped 3.8% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $115.82 and last traded at $115.94. Approximately 163,387 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 632,673 shares. The stock had previously closed at $120.48.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Benchmark boosted their target price on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com upgraded MKS Instruments from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.75.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 4.0 %

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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $124.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $101.38. The firm has a market cap of $7.21 billion, a PE ratio of -3.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 1.67.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $893.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $845.25 million. MKS Instruments had a positive return on equity of 9.95% and a negative net margin of 50.80%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. Analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 4.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is -3.19%.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $1,100,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 78,017 shares in the company, valued at $8,581,870. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.00, for a total value of $33,250.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,862 shares in the company, valued at $2,242,646. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $1,100,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 78,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,581,870. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 60,776 shares of company stock worth $7,326,307 over the last quarter. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 73.5% in the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 295 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. 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.