Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $93.00 to $100.00 in a research report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on MKSI. Benchmark cut their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.92.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $83.82 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. MKS Instruments has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $5.65 billion, a PE ratio of 29.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $76.58 and its 200-day moving average is $96.36.

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

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is currently 26.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 41.8% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,250,085 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $260,494,000 after acquiring an additional 958,607 shares in the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at $97,494,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at $85,451,000. Channing Capital Management LLC bought a new position in MKS Instruments during the 1st quarter valued at $44,320,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 108.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $110,789,000 after acquiring an additional 530,620 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.