Elizabeth Mora Sells 275 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 2.9 %

MKS Instruments stock traded up $2.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $84.89. The stock had a trading volume of 1,192,445 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,003,571. The company has a market capitalization of $5.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.32, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $106.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $108.43. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a one year low of $80.36 and a one year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. On average, analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Benchmark reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.08.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ABLE Financial Group LLC bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,669,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 39,464 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $4,120,000 after acquiring an additional 15,184 shares during the period. GTS Securities LLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 41.5% during the 4th quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 9,357 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $977,000 after acquiring an additional 2,745 shares during the period. PharVision Advisers LLC bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at about $261,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 258,251 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $26,959,000 after acquiring an additional 44,106 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.