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

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, May 8th, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be given a dividend of 0.22 per share by the scientific and technical instruments company on Friday, June 7th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 24th.

MKS Instruments has raised its dividend by an average of 3.2% per year over the last three years. MKS Instruments has a payout ratio of 12.7% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect MKS Instruments to earn $6.52 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 13.5%.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 3.9 %

MKSI stock traded up $4.81 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $128.19. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 241,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 628,119. MKS Instruments has a 12 month low of $63.44 and a 12 month high of $135.51. The company has a current ratio of 3.18, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $123.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.06. The company has a market cap of $8.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 1.69.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $868.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $848.94 million. MKS Instruments had a positive return on equity of 9.95% and a negative net margin of 50.80%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.48 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that MKS Instruments will post 4.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In related news, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 32,865 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.28, for a total transaction of $4,051,597.20. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 1 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $123.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 32,865 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.28, for a total transaction of $4,051,597.20. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 1 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $123.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 7,411 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total value of $910,737.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,999 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,284,147.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,776 shares of company stock worth $6,226,307 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. TheStreet raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Benchmark boosted their price objective on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.75.

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.