MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.43 EPS

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.43, Briefing.com reports. MKS Instruments had a positive return on equity of 9.95% and a negative net margin of 50.80%. The business had revenue of $868.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $848.94 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.48 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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 Up 3.2 %

NASDAQ:MKSI traded up $3.90 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $127.28. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 322,012 shares, compared to its average volume of 628,615. The company has a current ratio of 3.18, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. MKS Instruments has a 52-week low of $63.44 and a 52-week high of $135.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 1.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $123.74 and a 200-day moving average of $105.06.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 7,411 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $5,284,147.11. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 7,411 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total transaction of $910,737.79. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,999 shares in the company, valued at $5,284,147.11. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $1,200,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 68,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,162,040. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MKSI shares. Benchmark raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. StockNews.com raised MKS Instruments from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, TheStreet upgraded MKS Instruments from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently 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.