Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target cut by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 36.49% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Citigroup lowered MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.00.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI stock opened at $109.90 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 244.22, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $108.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.63. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. MKS Instruments has a 12-month low of $93.88 and a 12-month high of $147.40.

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

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % 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. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 825 shares of company stock worth $92,853. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Barclays PLC boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $110,789,000 after purchasing an additional 530,620 shares in the last quarter. Shellback Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth approximately $34,541,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 219.5% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 348,024 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,445,000 after purchasing an additional 239,099 shares during the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter valued at about $21,690,000. Finally, Mizuho Markets Americas LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at about $23,171,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.