MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Releases Q4 2024 Earnings Guidance

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) updated its fourth quarter 2024 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.630-2.270 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 1.490. The company issued revenue guidance of $870.0 million-$950.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $885.0 million. MKS Instruments also updated its Q4 guidance to $1.63-2.27 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup downgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, August 5th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI stock traded up $0.65 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $116.29. The company had a trading volume of 796,253 shares, compared to its average volume of 869,968. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $106.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $119.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 258.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.63. 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 has a one year low of $67.57 and a one year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.30. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.82% and a net margin of 0.90%. The business had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments will post 5.61 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total value of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,543.23. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total value of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,543.23. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,325 shares of company stock worth $272,795. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.