MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Gap Up on Earnings Beat

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) shares gapped up before the market opened on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $123.38, but opened at $129.75. MKS Instruments shares last traded at $124.16, with a volume of 46,696 shares trading hands.

The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.43. The business had revenue of $868.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $848.94 million. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 50.80% and a positive return on equity of 9.95%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.48 earnings per share.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 currently -3.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on MKSI. TheStreet raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.75.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 32,865 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 1 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $123.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 32,865 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.28, for a total value of $4,051,597.20. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 1 shares in the company, valued at $123.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the 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 $30,722.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,161 shares in the company, valued at $1,125,795.29. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 40,776 shares of company stock valued at $5,026,307 over the last three months. 0.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the first quarter worth $25,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the first quarter worth $26,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 3.4 %

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $123.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $105.21. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 3.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The company has a market capitalization of $8.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 1.69.

MKS Instruments Company Profile

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.