MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Raised to “Buy” at Citigroup

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) was upgraded by investment analysts at Citigroup from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $130.00 target price on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Citigroup’s target price indicates a potential upside of 15.19% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.83.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 1.5 %

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $112.86 on Monday. MKS Instruments has a one year low of $97.54 and a one year high of $147.40. The company has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a PE ratio of 250.80, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.66. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $109.61 and a 200-day moving average of $113.95.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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 in the company, 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. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 62.6% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 12.5% in the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,894 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $247,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.5% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 18,771 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,451,000 after buying an additional 1,310 shares during the period. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL bought a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter valued at $285,000. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,984 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $651,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the period. 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.