Cantor Fitzgerald Reiterates “Overweight” Rating for MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI)

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $140.00 price objective on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s price objective points to a potential upside of 35.04% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $156.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 0.2 %

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $103.67 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $110.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $110.36. MKS Instruments has a 52 week low of $97.54 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $6.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 230.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. On average, research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 6.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. This trade represents a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. The trade was 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 Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 9,748 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,018,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,952,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,068 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.