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

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) announced a quarterly dividend on Monday, February 10th,RTT News reports. Stockholders 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 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th.

MKS Instruments has raised its dividend by an average of 0.8% per year over the last three years. MKS Instruments has a payout ratio of 9.4% indicating that 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 Up 0.5 %

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded up $0.56 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $111.20. The stock had a trading volume of 1,003,346 shares, compared to its average volume of 851,387. The company has a market capitalization of $7.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 247.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $111.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $110.54. MKS Instruments has a 52 week low of $97.54 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its 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 return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. Sell-side analysts predict that MKS Instruments will post 6.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,146,048.40. This trade represents a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MKSI. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $156.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Citigroup raised 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.75.

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.