MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) posted its earnings results on Tuesday. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.22, Zacks reports. MKS had a return on equity of 20.80% and a net margin of 7.25%.

MKS Trading Up 0.8%

MKSI traded up $2.20 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $262.94. 3,466,550 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,647,831. The company has a current ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. MKS has a 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $269.91. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $197.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $152.24. The firm has a market cap of $17.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.95.

MKS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. MKS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.27%.

Insider Activity at MKS

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.81, for a total transaction of $47,643.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,011,514.03. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quantedge Capital Pte Ltd bought a new stake in shares of MKS in the fourth quarter worth $639,000. Trexquant Investment LP grew its holdings in MKS by 27.1% during the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 9,159 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,464,000 after acquiring an additional 1,953 shares in the last quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in MKS during the 4th quarter worth $464,000. Dean Investment Associates LLC increased its position in shares of MKS by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC now owns 23,480 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $3,752,000 after purchasing an additional 607 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its stake in MKS by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 5,196 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $831,000 after buying an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on MKS from $210.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen upped their target price on MKS from $200.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Bank of America raised their price target on MKS from $215.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of MKS from $187.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of MKS from $135.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.50.

MKS Company Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc (NASDAQ: MKSI) designs, manufactures and markets technology solutions that enable advanced processes in a variety of high‐technology and industrial markets. The company’s core offerings include vacuum and gas delivery systems, pressure and flow measurement instruments, optical metrology tools, photonics subsystems and critical components for manufacturing processes. These products support the precise control and monitoring needs of semiconductor, industrial manufacturing, life and health sciences, and research applications.

The company’s product portfolio features mass flow controllers, pressure transducers, vacuum gauges, gas purity monitors, laser-based metrology systems and photonic devices such as lasers and detectors.