MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Receives $123.00 Consensus PT from Brokerages

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $123.00.

Several research firms recently weighed in on MKSI. StockNews.com upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 1.8 %

MKSI stock opened at $120.50 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $124.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $100.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 3.18 and a quick ratio of 2.01. MKS Instruments has a 52-week low of $63.44 and a 52-week high of $135.51.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.28. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 50.80% and a positive return on equity of 9.95%. The firm had revenue of $893.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $845.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.00 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that MKS Instruments will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -3.19%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 32,865 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.28, for a total transaction of $4,051,597.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 1 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $123.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total value of $30,722.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,161 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,125,795.29. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 32,865 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.28, for a total transaction of $4,051,597.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 1 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $123.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 60,776 shares of company stock valued at $7,326,307 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Fulton Bank N.A. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 45.7% during the 1st quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 2,890 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $384,000 after purchasing an additional 907 shares during the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,892,941 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $709,077,000 after purchasing an additional 39,045 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth $100,000. 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.