MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Given New $150.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price objective hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $135.00 to $150.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Mizuho set a $175.00 price target on MKS in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised MKS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $151.00 target price on shares of MKS in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $175.00 price target on shares of MKS and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of MKS from $92.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, MKS presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.64.

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI stock traded down $0.45 during trading on Friday, reaching $154.80. 1,522,310 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,196,417. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $128.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $105.50. MKS has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $157.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.40 billion, a PE ratio of 39.29, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 2.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. MKS had a net margin of 7.11% and a return on equity of 20.65%. The firm had revenue of $988.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $963.87 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.72 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. MKS has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.930-2.610 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 24th. MKS’s payout ratio is currently 21.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.14, for a total value of $36,642.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,562 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,412,182.68. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total transaction of $29,955.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 19,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,923,410.55. This represents a 1.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,600 shares of company stock valued at $716,597. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Syon Capital LLC bought a new position in MKS in the third quarter valued at about $305,000. First National Bank of Omaha acquired a new position in shares of MKS in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,668,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in MKS by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,752,097 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $959,477,000 after buying an additional 295,480 shares during the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC acquired a new stake in MKS during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $224,000. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its holdings in MKS by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 23,469 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,905,000 after acquiring an additional 693 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS 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.