MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $140.08.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark lowered their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in MKS Instruments by 14.9% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,326 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $253,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $949,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $72,120,000 after purchasing an additional 45,862 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in MKS Instruments by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $48,303,000 after purchasing an additional 30,216 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in MKS Instruments in the third quarter worth $827,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 1.8 %

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $80.15 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.63, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.75. The business’s fifty day moving average is $98.55 and its 200-day moving average is $105.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04. MKS Instruments has a one year low of $76.37 and a one year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. Equities research analysts predict that MKS Instruments will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.43%.

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.