MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Gerard G. Colella Sells 8,000 Shares of Stock

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 1.3 %

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $106.82 on Thursday. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 1 year low of $97.54 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $110.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $110.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.15, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 7.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.43%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS Instruments

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth $97,494,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth about $85,451,000. Barclays PLC grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $110,789,000 after acquiring an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Shapiro Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,228,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,391,000 after acquiring an additional 292,226 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Company Profile

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.