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

Shares of 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 Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on MKSI. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, August 8th. KeyCorp raised their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. 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 stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $142.00.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 5.2 %

The stock has a market cap of $7.11 billion, a PE ratio of -4.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.64. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $119.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.31. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.51. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 0.25%. The business had revenue of $887.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $866.38 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3.30%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total value of $30,865.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,300,404.18. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,079,805.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total value of $30,865.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,533 shares in the company, valued at $1,300,404.18. 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. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth $1,288,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 14.8% in the 2nd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 32,231 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $4,209,000 after acquiring an additional 4,163 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 16.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 12,921 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,687,000 after purchasing an additional 1,827 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,599,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter valued at approximately $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.