Brokerages Set MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target at $141.83

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $141.75.

MKSI has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the director now owns 17,659 shares in the company, 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 own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 196.9% in the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. BOKF NA acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth about $39,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $109.07 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 242.38, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.66. MKS Instruments has a one year low of $97.54 and a one year high of $147.40. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.66. 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 (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The company had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.81%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

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.