MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Rating Lowered by Citigroup

Citigroup cut shares of MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report report published on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $120.00 price target on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, down from their prior price target of $145.00.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, August 5th. They issued an overweight rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen upped their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, Benchmark restated a buy rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $142.00.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $107.84 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.58 and a quick ratio of 2.31. The business’s 50-day moving average is $118.58 and its 200 day moving average is $124.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.23 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.64. MKS Instruments has a 1 year low of $63.44 and a 1 year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $887.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 0.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that MKS Instruments will post 5.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently -3.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total transaction of $30,865.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,533 shares in the company, valued at $1,300,404.18. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total transaction of $30,865.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,300,404.18. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,325 shares of company stock worth $276,435. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $373,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $117,672,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 22,156 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,279,000 after purchasing an additional 2,487 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 92.8% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 229,385 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $23,597,000 after purchasing an additional 110,427 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.