Brokerages Set MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Target Price at $119.80

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $119.80.

MKSI has been the subject of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of MKS in a research report on Friday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $90.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research cut shares of MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on shares of MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 7th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total value of $27,630.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,092,490.20. This trade represents a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Philip Henry sold 5,000 shares of MKS stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $650,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,571 shares in the company, valued at $2,024,230. This trade represents a 24.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,600 shares of company stock worth $917,585 over the last 90 days. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in MKS in the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Steph & Co. purchased a new position in MKS in the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in MKS in the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,000. Optimum Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of MKS by 66.7% during the 1st quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MKS by 89.3% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $127.90 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $104.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The stock has a market cap of $8.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.46, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.94. MKS has a 52 week low of $54.84 and a 52 week high of $132.44.

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

MKS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. MKS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.34%.

About MKS

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.