MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Gap Down to $111.85

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $111.85, but opened at $108.88. MKS Instruments shares last traded at $108.83, with a volume of 7,095 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MKSI shares. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Citigroup lowered shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $142.00.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 5.2 %

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $119.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $124.31. The firm has a market cap of $7.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a quick ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 3.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.51. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.25% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The business had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $866.38 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -3.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total transaction of $30,865.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,300,404.18. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total transaction of $30,865.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,300,404.18. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total value of $213,678.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,543.23. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,325 shares of company stock worth $276,435 in the last 90 days. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Key Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth $39,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About MKS Instruments

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.