MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Coverage Initiated at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) in a report issued on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued an overweight rating and a $145.00 price objective on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Mizuho upgraded shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup lowered MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.42.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $112.55 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The stock has a market cap of $7.57 billion, a PE ratio of 250.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $108.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $116.88. MKS Instruments has a 1-year low of $90.90 and a 1-year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 195.56%.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 825 shares of company stock worth $92,853 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Aigen Investment Management LP increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 705.3% in the 3rd quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 12,547 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,364,000 after buying an additional 10,989 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 141,187 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $18,436,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth $1,599,000. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.3% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $48,303,000 after purchasing an additional 30,216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,928.7% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 76,828 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $10,110,000 after purchasing an additional 74,921 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.