Citigroup Downgrades MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) to Neutral

Citigroup cut shares of MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report issued on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $120.00 target price on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, down from their prior target price of $145.00.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on MKSI. Benchmark reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, August 5th. They set an overweight rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a neutral rating and a $129.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $142.00.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 5.8 %

MKSI opened at $114.10 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.64. 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 one year low of $63.44 and a one year high of $147.40. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $117.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $123.97.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.51. The company had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 0.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments will post 5.6 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is -3.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,543.23. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,079,805.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,543.23. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,325 shares of company stock worth $276,435 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth $132,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,288,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 14.8% during the 2nd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 32,231 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $4,209,000 after purchasing an additional 4,163 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 16.5% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 12,921 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,687,000 after buying an additional 1,827 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,599,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.