MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Announces Earnings Results

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.43, Briefing.com reports. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 50.80% and a positive return on equity of 9.95%. The company had revenue of $868.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $848.94 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.48 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. MKS Instruments updated its Q2 guidance to $0.67-1.19 EPS and its Q2 2024 guidance to 0.670-1.190 EPS.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI traded up $3.95 during trading on Thursday, hitting $127.33. 207,230 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 627,786. The company has a market cap of $8.54 billion, a PE ratio of -4.48, a P/E/G ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 1.69. MKS Instruments has a 52-week low of $63.44 and a 52-week high of $135.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 3.18 and a quick ratio of 2.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $123.74 and a 200 day moving average of $105.06.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is -3.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total transaction of $30,722.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 9,161 shares in the company, valued at $1,125,795.29. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total value of $30,722.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,161 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,125,795.29. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 7,411 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total transaction of $910,737.79. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,999 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,284,147.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,776 shares of company stock valued at $6,226,307. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on MKSI shares. Benchmark increased their price target on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price 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. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, StockNews.com raised MKS Instruments from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.