MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price Down 6.3% – Should You Sell?

Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) dropped 6.3% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $105.26 and last traded at $105.53. Approximately 515,334 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 37% from the average daily volume of 814,851 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.63.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 0.9 %

The stock has a market cap of $6.88 billion, a PE ratio of -3.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.63. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $111.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $121.24. The company has a quick ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 3.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $887.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 0.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 5.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently -3.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,543.23. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at $2,079,805.98. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total value of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13 shares in the company, valued at $1,543.23. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,575 shares of company stock valued at $303,660. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,892,941 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $709,077,000 after purchasing an additional 39,045 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 143.1% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,141,676 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $282,102,000 after buying an additional 1,260,792 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 911,243 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $121,195,000 after buying an additional 10,079 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 620,063 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $82,468,000 after buying an additional 30,348 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 41.2% during the second quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 432,858 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $56,523,000 after acquiring an additional 126,200 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

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.