MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target Increased to $150.00 by Analysts at KeyCorp

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target hoisted by stock analysts at KeyCorp from $140.00 to $150.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. KeyCorp’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 13.71% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $153.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.25.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI stock opened at $131.91 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $123.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $109.26. The company has a market capitalization of $8.85 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.94, a PEG ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 1.69. MKS Instruments has a 52-week low of $63.44 and a 52-week high of $135.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a current ratio of 3.69.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.43. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 48.24% and a positive return on equity of 13.90%. The company had revenue of $868.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $848.94 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.48 earnings per share. MKS Instruments’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that MKS Instruments will post 4.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.00, for a total transaction of $33,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,862 shares in the company, valued at $2,242,646. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.00, for a total value of $33,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,862 shares in the company, valued at $2,242,646. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 7,411 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total transaction of $910,737.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,999 shares in the company, valued at $5,284,147.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 7,911 shares of company stock worth $974,710. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.6% during 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 buying an additional 39,045 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,490,779 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $461,966,000 after buying an additional 581,453 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,464,620 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $299,828,000 after buying an additional 338,347 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 143.1% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,141,676 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $282,102,000 after buying an additional 1,260,792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,157,767 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $119,099,000 after purchasing an additional 27,635 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.