MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Issues Q4 Earnings Guidance

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) updated its fourth quarter earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $1.63-2.27 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49. The company issued revenue guidance of $870-950 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $885.00 million. MKS Instruments also updated its Q4 2024 guidance to 1.630-2.270 EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on MKSI. Morgan Stanley started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI traded up $0.65 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $116.29. 796,253 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 869,968. The company has a quick ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 3.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The firm has a market cap of $7.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 258.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.63. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $106.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $119.01. MKS Instruments has a 52 week low of $67.57 and a 52 week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.30. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.82% and a net margin of 0.90%. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments will post 5.61 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at $2,079,805.98. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,325 shares of company stock valued at $272,795. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.