Brokerages Set MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) PT at $141.83

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $141.75.

A number of analysts have commented on MKSI shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $156.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Wednesday.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $114.05 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 253.44, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.66. MKS Instruments has a 1-year low of $97.54 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $110.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.26.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that MKS Instruments will post 6.34 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $31,391,000 after acquiring an additional 292,226 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $295,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $12,058,000. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 4,248 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $443,000 after buying an additional 578 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,525,037 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $265,874,000 after buying an additional 237,979 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.