MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Sets New 1-Year High - Here's Why

Key Points

• MKS Inc. reached a new 52-week high of $142.33 and closed at $141.41, reflecting a notable increase from its previous closing price of $136.52.
• Analyst ratings show strong confidence in MKS, with 8 analysts rating it as a "Buy," resulting in a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $130.70.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22, with a yield of 0.6%, and has a payout ratio of 22.34% as of the last report.

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $142.33 and last traded at $141.41, with a volume of 111490 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $136.52.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised MKS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of MKS in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Friday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of MKS from $92.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on MKS from $118.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $130.70.

MKS Price Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $116.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $97.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.99. The company has a market capitalization of $9.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.97.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $973.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.05 million. MKS had a return on equity of 20.65% and a net margin of 7.11%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.53 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. MKS's payout ratio is presently 22.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 5,000 shares of MKS stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $650,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,571 shares in the company, valued at $2,024,230. This trade represents a 24.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.14, for a total value of $36,642.00. Following the sale, the director owned 11,562 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,412,182.68. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 5,900 shares of company stock valued at $744,227. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al grew its stake in MKS by 81.1% during the third quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 9,600 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,188,000 after buying an additional 4,300 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in MKS by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,045 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $501,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in MKS by 8.7% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,689 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $828,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MKS by 234.1% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 12,007 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,486,000 after purchasing an additional 8,413 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of MKS in the third quarter worth about $200,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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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