MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $141.09.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MKSI shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Citigroup cut shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13 shares in the company, valued at $1,543.23. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $31,891.75. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13 shares in the company, valued at $1,543.23. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,325 shares of company stock worth $272,795 in the last 90 days. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 5,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $547,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. Hudson Value Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 23,271 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,530,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539 shares during the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 17.8% during the third quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 509,883 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $55,429,000 after buying an additional 77,025 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 2.4% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,942 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $537,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $100.60 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 914.55, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.63. MKS Instruments has a one year low of $63.64 and a one year high of $147.40. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $107.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.58 and a quick ratio of 2.31.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.51. The company had revenue of $887.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.25% and a return on equity of 14.91%. MKS Instruments’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments will post 5.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 800.00%.

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.