MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $80.22 and last traded at $80.36, with a volume of 215846 shares. The stock had previously closed at $84.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKSI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 7.0 %

The stock has a market cap of $5.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.34. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,575 shares of company stock worth $896,107 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,445,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $777,283,000 after acquiring an additional 97,392 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,088,283 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $322,386,000 after purchasing an additional 35,256 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $265,874,000 after purchasing an additional 237,979 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,291,478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $239,207,000 after purchasing an additional 6,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,231,467 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $232,943,000 after buying an additional 6,964 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.