MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Elizabeth Mora Sells 300 Shares

Key Points

• Elizabeth Mora, a director at MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI), sold 300 shares of the company at an average price of $99.85, resulting in a total transaction value of approximately $29,955.
• MKS reported $1.77 EPS for the latest quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of $1.61, with a year-over-year revenue increase of 9.7%.
• The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, indicating a 0.9% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 22.34%.

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total value of $29,955.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,923,410.55. The trade was a 1.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of MKSI traded down $2.60 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $99.35. 281,510 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,171,978. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.99. MKS Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $125.33. The company has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.94. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $101.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $89.51.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.16. MKS had a return on equity of 20.65% and a net margin of 7.11%.The firm had revenue of $973.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $931.05 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.53 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. MKS's payout ratio is presently 22.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKSI has been the subject of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Mizuho upped their target price on MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on MKS in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research cut MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $119.80.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its stake in MKS by 35.1% during the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 17,968 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,785,000 after acquiring an additional 4,670 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in MKS during the 2nd quarter worth about $956,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in MKS during the 2nd quarter worth about $295,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in MKS by 65.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 652 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in MKS in the 2nd quarter valued at about $224,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

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.

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