MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target Increased to $120.00 by Analysts at Wells Fargo & Company

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price objective boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $115.00 to $120.00 in a research note published on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. TheStreet raised shares of MKS Instruments from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $123.00.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 3.3 %

MKSI opened at $128.30 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.60 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 1.67. MKS Instruments has a 12 month low of $63.44 and a 12 month high of $135.51. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $121.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.79. The company has a current ratio of 3.18, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.28. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 50.80% and a positive return on equity of 9.95%. The firm had revenue of $893.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $845.25 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.00 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments will post 4.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is presently -3.19%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $1,100,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 78,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,581,870. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 32,865 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.28, for a total value of $4,051,597.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 1 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $123.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $1,100,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 78,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,581,870. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 60,776 shares of company stock worth $7,326,307 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Belpointe Asset Management LLC increased its position in MKS Instruments by 73.5% in the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 295 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Mendota Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.