MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) to Issue $0.22 Quarterly Dividend

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, February 11th,RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a dividend of 0.22 per share by the scientific and technical instruments company on Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%.

MKS Instruments has increased its dividend by an average of 0.8% annually over the last three years. MKS Instruments has a payout ratio of 9.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect MKS Instruments to earn $7.48 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 11.8%.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 1.6 %

MKSI stock opened at $108.88 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $111.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.54. The company has a market capitalization of $7.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 242.16, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.66. MKS Instruments has a twelve month low of $97.54 and a twelve month high of $147.40.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MKSI shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. This represents a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

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.