MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) EVP David Philip Henry Sells 2,000 Shares

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,159,955. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of MKS stock traded up $3.36 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $105.54. The company had a trading volume of 95,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,050,572. The stock has a market cap of $7.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.38, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 3.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.08. MKS Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $147.40.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 20.67%. The business had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $913.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.18 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. MKS's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKSI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of MKS from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of MKS from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of MKS from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of MKS from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $129.91.

Institutional Trading of MKS

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of MKS by 41.8% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,250,085 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $260,494,000 after buying an additional 958,607 shares during the period. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in MKS in the fourth quarter valued at $97,494,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of MKS in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $85,451,000. Channing Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS during the first quarter worth about $44,320,000. Finally, Madison Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 52.9% during the first quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 1,428,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $114,466,000 after buying an additional 494,207 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS 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.