MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Receives $141.09 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $141.09.

Several brokerages have weighed in on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, August 8th.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI opened at $100.60 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $107.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $119.21. The company has a market cap of $6.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 914.55, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a quick ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 3.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. MKS Instruments has a 52-week low of $63.64 and a 52-week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.25% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments will post 5.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 800.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $31,891.75. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,325 shares of company stock valued at $272,795. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Equitable Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.2% during the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 5,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $547,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments in the third quarter valued at about $57,000. Hudson Value Partners LLC lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 7.1% in the third quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 23,271 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,530,000 after purchasing an additional 1,539 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 17.8% in the third quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 509,883 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $55,429,000 after purchasing an additional 77,025 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 2.4% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,942 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $537,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. 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.