Brokerages Set MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) PT at $142.00

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $141.09.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp lifted their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 at this link. In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total value of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,543.23. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,575 shares of company stock valued at $303,660 over the last 90 days. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,892,941 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $709,077,000 after purchasing an additional 39,045 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 143.1% during the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,141,676 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $282,102,000 after buying an additional 1,260,792 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 1.1% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 911,243 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $121,195,000 after acquiring an additional 10,079 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP grew its position in MKS Instruments by 5.1% in the first quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 620,063 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $82,468,000 after acquiring an additional 30,348 shares during the period. Finally, Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 545,516 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $56,117,000 after acquiring an additional 90,956 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $106.78 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $122.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a current ratio of 3.58. MKS Instruments has a fifty-two week low of $63.44 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.63.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.51. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.25% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The company had revenue of $887.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $866.38 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. MKS Instruments’s revenue was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments will post 5.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently -3.30%.

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.