MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Sells $29,955.00 in Stock

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 firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total transaction of $29,955.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 19,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,923,410.55. This trade represents a 1.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

MKS Trading Up 4.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded up $4.53 on Monday, hitting $109.02. The company had a trading volume of 1,573,164 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,173,221. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $101.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $89.31. MKS Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $125.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.94.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 net margin of 7.11% and a return on equity of 20.65%. The firm had revenue of $973.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $931.05 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.53 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $119.80.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in MKS in the second quarter worth about $39,000. Steph & Co. purchased a new position in MKS in the second quarter worth about $42,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in MKS in the second quarter worth about $46,000. Optimum Investment Advisors raised its holdings in MKS by 66.7% in the first quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in MKS by 89.3% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is 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.