MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $135.17.

Several research firms have issued reports on MKSI. Benchmark decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS Instruments

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Optimum Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 66.7% during the first quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI opened at $90.66 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $6.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $76.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.79. MKS Instruments has a 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. The business had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $913.59 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.27%.

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.