MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.30 EPS

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.30, Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 0.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. MKS Instruments updated its Q4 guidance to $1.63-2.27 EPS and its Q4 2024 guidance to 1.630-2.270 EPS.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $115.64 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $106.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $118.96. The stock has a market cap of $7.78 billion, a PE ratio of 1,051.27, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.63. MKS Instruments has a 52-week low of $67.57 and a 52-week 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.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 800.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total value of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares in the company, valued at $1,543.23. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total value of $213,678.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares in the company, valued at $1,543.23. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,325 shares of company stock worth $272,795. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on MKSI. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.09.

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.