MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target Raised to $136.00

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its target price boosted by Needham & Company LLC from $130.00 to $136.00 in a report issued on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have a buy rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of MKS from $92.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MKS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 20th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.80.

MKS Stock Up 2.8%

MKS stock opened at $136.42 on Monday. MKS has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $142.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $115.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.45. The company has a market capitalization of $9.16 billion, a PE ratio of 34.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.97.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.16. MKS had a net margin of 7.11% and a return on equity of 20.65%. The firm had revenue of $973.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.05 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.53 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that MKS will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. MKS’s payout ratio is presently 22.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total transaction of $29,955.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 19,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,923,410.55. The trade was a 1.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.14, for a total transaction of $36,642.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,562 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,412,182.68. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 5,900 shares of company stock worth $744,227. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in MKS in the second quarter valued at $39,000. Optimum Investment Advisors lifted its position in MKS by 66.7% in the first quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Steph & Co. purchased a new stake in MKS in the second quarter valued at $42,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in shares of MKS in the second quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in shares of MKS by 1,168.3% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 799 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS 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.