MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price Target Lowered at Wells Fargo & Company

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target dropped by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $285.00 to $195.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 3.92% from the company’s previous close.

MKSI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on MKS from $390.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $600.00 target price on shares of MKS in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $360.00 target price on MKS in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Citigroup lifted their price target on MKS from $425.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded MKS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $359.14.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded up $10.82 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $187.64. 298,715 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,384,884. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $241.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $277.11. The stock has a market cap of $12.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.16, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 2.14. MKS has a one year low of $134.74 and a one year high of $447.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $4.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.55. MKS had a return on equity of 29.90% and a net margin of 12.64%. The company had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.36 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.93 EPS. MKS’s revenue was up 43.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS will post 13.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, November 4th that allows the company to repurchase $500 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the scientific and technical instruments company to repurchase up to 3.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Share buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.01, for a total value of $3,020,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 134,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,703,699.76. This represents a 6.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.96, for a total value of $75,288.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,729,341.20. The trade was a 1.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Spyglass Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $52,720,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of MKS in the 2nd quarter valued at $231,673,000. Dorsey Wright & Associates bought a new stake in shares of MKS in the 1st quarter valued at $1,329,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in shares of MKS by 42.2% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 44,846 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $19,948,000 after buying an additional 13,299 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of MKS by 3,011.9% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 19,294 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $4,434,000 after buying an additional 18,674 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MKS News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 adjusted EPS of $4.18 beat estimates of about $3.63, and revenue of $1.41 billion exceeded forecasts of $1.36 billion, rising 43% year over year. The company also reported record adjusted EBITDA. MKS Q3 results
• Positive Sentiment: Management pointed to AI-driven semiconductor demand as a growth driver and forecast Q4 adjusted EPS of $4.62–$5.38, supporting expectations for continued momentum. Earnings call outlook
• Positive Sentiment: MKS authorized a $500 million share-repurchase program—up to 3.6% of shares—and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share. Buybacks can support per-share earnings and signal confidence in the company’s outlook. Repurchase and dividend announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Needham cut its price target to $300 from $390, a sizable reduction that could weigh on sentiment, although it maintained a Buy rating. Needham rating

About MKS

MKS Instruments, Inc (NASDAQ: MKSI) develops technologies that enable precision control and measurement in manufacturing and research environments. The company provides instruments, components, systems and process-control solutions used to measure and control pressure, flow, vacuum, gas delivery, temperature and other critical production conditions.

Its product portfolio includes vacuum solutions, pressure and flow-control instruments, gas and vapor delivery systems, plasma and reactive-gas technologies, power delivery systems, process-monitoring equipment, analytical instruments and materials-characterization tools.