MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Given New $350.00 Price Target at Citigroup

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target reduced by Citigroup from $430.00 to $350.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on MKSI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of MKS from $365.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of MKS from $345.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of MKS from $285.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of MKS from $360.00 to $330.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $360.00 price target on shares of MKS in a report on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $366.77.

MKS Stock Up 8.7%

MKSI stock traded up $15.45 during trading on Friday, reaching $192.27. The stock had a trading volume of 2,616,226 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,346,953. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $13.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 2.14. MKS has a one year low of $134.74 and a one year high of $447.62. The company’s 50 day moving average is $240.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $277.02.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $4.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.55. The firm had revenue of $1.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.36 billion. MKS had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 43.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.93 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that MKS will post 13.14 EPS for the current year.

MKS declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, November 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the scientific and technical instruments company to reacquire up to 3.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 25th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 25th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. MKS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.86%.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.96, for a total value of $75,288.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 18,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,729,341.20. This represents a 1.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.01, for a total transaction of $3,020,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 134,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,703,699.76. The trade was a 6.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MKS

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of MKS during the 2nd quarter valued at $231,673,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of MKS by 1,742.1% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 442,273 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $117,362,000 after acquiring an additional 418,264 shares in the last quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS during the 2nd quarter valued at about $140,866,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS during the 2nd quarter valued at about $128,303,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of MKS during the 2nd quarter valued at about $77,043,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MKS beat third-quarter estimates, reporting adjusted EPS of $4.18 versus roughly $3.63 expected. Revenue rose 43% year over year, supported by strong semiconductor demand. Zacks Q3 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Management pointed to AI-fueled demand, capacity expansion and improving margins, and forecast fourth-quarter adjusted EPS of $4.62–$5.38—signaling potential for continued growth. Zacks earnings-call highlights
• Positive Sentiment: The company authorized a $500 million share repurchase program, which may support demand for the stock and signals the board’s willingness to return capital to shareholders. $500 million buyback announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms cut their price targets, tempering the positive earnings news. Deutsche Bank lowered its target to $240 from $385 but maintained Buy; Citigroup cut to $350 from $430 and also kept Buy. Wells Fargo reduced its target to $195 from $285 and maintained Equal Weight. Deutsche Bank target update Citigroup target update Wells Fargo target update

MKS Company Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc (NASDAQ: MKSI) develops technologies that enable precision control and measurement in manufacturing and research environments. The company provides instruments, components, systems and process-control solutions used to measure and control pressure, flow, vacuum, gas delivery, temperature and other critical production conditions.

Its product portfolio includes vacuum solutions, pressure and flow-control instruments, gas and vapor delivery systems, plasma and reactive-gas technologies, power delivery systems, process-monitoring equipment, analytical instruments and materials-characterization tools.