MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $141.42.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup cut MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Friday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $112.55 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $108.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.95. The company has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 250.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. 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 has a 52-week low of $90.90 and a 52-week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 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 company had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is presently 195.56%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 825 shares of company stock worth $92,853. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,954,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $212,515,000 after acquiring an additional 65,200 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,172,517 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $127,496,000 after purchasing an additional 51,519 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 108.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $110,789,000 after buying an additional 530,620 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 663,414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $72,120,000 after buying an additional 45,862 shares during the period. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 17.8% during the third quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 509,883 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $55,429,000 after buying an additional 77,025 shares during the last quarter. 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.