Morgan Stanley Cuts MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target to $147.00

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target reduced by Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $147.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $103.67 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.98 billion, a PE ratio of 230.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.66. 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 $97.54 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $110.77 and its 200-day moving average is $110.19.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. Sell-side analysts predict that MKS Instruments will post 6.34 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is presently 195.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were 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 $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the director now owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % 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 insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 114.7% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 4,911 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $513,000 after acquiring an additional 2,624 shares during the period. Comerica Bank increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 25,873 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,701,000 after acquiring an additional 2,313 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 54.0% during the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 20,411 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,131,000 after acquiring an additional 7,154 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 20.4% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 608,382 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $63,509,000 after acquiring an additional 103,257 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 33.4% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 491,497 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $51,307,000 after acquiring an additional 123,056 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

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.