MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.22

Key Points

• MKS Inc. has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, with a payout date set for September 5th, 2023, for investors on record as of August 25th.
• The company has a low payout ratio of 10.8%, indicating it can comfortably sustain its dividend payments in the future.
• Recent analyst ratings suggest optimism, as the average price target for MKS shares is set at $120.00, with eight analysts rating it a "buy."

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Monday, August 4th, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a dividend of 0.22 per share by the scientific and technical instruments company on Friday, September 5th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th.

MKS has a dividend payout ratio of 10.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect MKS to earn $8.61 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.88 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 10.2%.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $89.62 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $96.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $90.97. MKS has a 52-week low of $54.84 and a 52-week high of $125.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 3.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.04 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.86.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.60 by $0.17. MKS had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 20.67%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.53 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that MKS will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In other MKS news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $1,092,490.20. The trade was a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,159,955. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of MKS during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $789,000. Artemis Investment Management LLP boosted its stake in MKS by 2.2% in the first quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 251,799 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $20,182,000 after buying an additional 5,422 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp boosted its position in MKS by 15.5% during the first quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 18,884 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,513,000 after buying an additional 2,530 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MKS by 16.2% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 110,765 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $8,878,000 after purchasing an additional 15,482 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of MKS in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,312,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About MKS

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.