MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target Cut to $128.00 by Analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target dropped by equities researchers at The Goldman Sachs Group from $143.00 to $128.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 17.36% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Mizuho upgraded shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.75.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of MKSI opened at $109.07 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $110.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.66. MKS Instruments has a 12-month low of $97.54 and a 12-month high of $147.40. 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 firm has a market cap of $7.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 242.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The business’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,146,048.40. This trade represents a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of 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 valued at $110,789,000 after purchasing an additional 530,620 shares during the period. Shellback Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,541,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 219.5% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 348,024 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,445,000 after acquiring an additional 239,099 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $265,874,000 after acquiring an additional 237,979 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter valued at $21,690,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

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.