MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Sells $27,630.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Jacqueline F. Moloney, a director at MKS Inc., sold 300 shares at an average price of $92.10, totaling $27,630, which decreased her ownership by 2.47% to 11,862 shares worth approximately $1,092,490.20.
• MKS Inc. reported earnings of $1.71 per share for the last quarter, surpassing analyst estimates of $1.42, with a revenue increase of 7.8% year-over-year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, with a current dividend yield of 0.9% and a payout ratio of 26.27%.

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total value of $27,630.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,092,490.20. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded up $1.23 on Friday, reaching $100.00. 144,923 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,197,900. MKS Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $125.33. The company has a fifty day moving average of $97.13 and a 200-day moving average of $90.82. The company has a market capitalization of $6.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.35, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.86. The company has a current ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.16. MKS had a return on equity of 21.08% and a net margin of 7.11%. The business had revenue of $973.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.05 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.53 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.34%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in MKS by 5.2% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,515,373 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $281,758,000 after buying an additional 173,945 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MKS by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,388,639 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $271,599,000 after acquiring an additional 300,356 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of MKS by 41.8% during the 1st 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 acquiring an additional 958,607 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of MKS by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,231,467 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $232,943,000 after acquiring an additional 6,964 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Madison Asset Management LLC increased its stake in MKS by 52.9% in the first quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 1,428,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $114,466,000 after acquiring an additional 494,207 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKSI has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on MKS in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $90.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Friday. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. 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 report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $119.00.

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.