MKS Instruments, Inc. (MKSI) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.22 on June 6th

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, May 13th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be paid a dividend of 0.22 per share by the scientific and technical instruments company on Friday, June 6th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th.

MKS Instruments has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.8% annually over the last three years. MKS Instruments has a dividend payout ratio of 10.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect MKS Instruments to earn $8.61 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 10.2%.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $93.94 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market cap of $6.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $75.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $97.03. MKS Instruments has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. The company had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $913.59 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that MKS Instruments will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the topic of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Benchmark dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.17.

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.