MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Coverage Initiated at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 28.83% from the company’s previous close.

MKSI has been the topic of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Citigroup downgraded MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of 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 shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.42.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $112.55 on Friday. 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 fifty-two week low of $90.90 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $108.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a PE ratio of 250.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The firm’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that MKS Instruments will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total transaction of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 825 shares of company stock worth $92,853. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 23.0% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 937 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $691,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,685 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,570,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the second quarter valued at approximately $249,000. Finally, Lecap Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,542,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.