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

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, November 5th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a dividend of 0.22 per share by the scientific and technical instruments company on Friday, December 6th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th.

MKS Instruments has increased its dividend payment by an average of 3.2% annually over the last three years. MKS Instruments has a dividend payout ratio of 11.7% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect MKS Instruments to earn $7.21 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 12.2%.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI traded up $1.10 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $102.04. The stock had a trading volume of 32,925 shares, compared to its average volume of 819,558. MKS Instruments has a 1 year low of $67.42 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a current ratio of 3.58. The business has a fifty day moving average of $106.98 and a 200 day moving average of $119.10. The company has a market cap of $6.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 917.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.63.

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. The firm had revenue of $887.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 0.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 5.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKSI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price target for the company. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.09.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was 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. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,325 shares of company stock valued at $272,795. 0.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.