MKS Instruments, Inc. (MKSI) To Go Ex-Dividend on November 25th

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, November 5th, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a dividend of 0.22 per share by the scientific and technical instruments company on Friday, December 6th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th.

MKS Instruments has raised its dividend by an average of 3.2% per year over the last three years. MKS Instruments has a payout ratio of 11.7% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect MKS Instruments to earn $7.21 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 12.2%.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $103.29 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 939.00, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.58 and a quick ratio of 2.31. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.99. MKS Instruments has a 1 year low of $67.42 and a 1 year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.51. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 0.25%. The company had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $866.38 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. MKS Instruments’s revenue was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 5.61 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other MKS Instruments news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,543.23. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,325 shares of company stock valued at $272,795. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. KeyCorp increased their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.09.

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.