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

Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $141.83.

MKSI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $111.16 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 247.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a 50 day moving average of $109.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.93. MKS Instruments has a 52-week low of $97.54 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The business 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 firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 195.56%.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In related news, 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 $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Aigen Investment Management LP boosted its stake in MKS Instruments by 705.3% during the 3rd quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 12,547 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,364,000 after purchasing an additional 10,989 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.6% during the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 141,187 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $18,436,000 after buying an additional 10,000 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,599,000. Citigroup Inc. increased its position in MKS Instruments by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 444,333 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $48,303,000 after acquiring an additional 30,216 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in MKS Instruments by 3,928.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 76,828 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $10,110,000 after acquiring an additional 74,921 shares during the period. 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.