Morgan Stanley Cuts MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target to $150.00

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price objective lowered by Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on MKSI. Citigroup cut MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.00.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $104.16 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42. MKS Instruments has a fifty-two week low of $94.31 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company has a market cap of $7.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 231.47, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $108.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $116.54.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 195.56%.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,146,048.40. This trade represents a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 825 shares of company stock worth $92,853 over the last ninety days. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter valued at about $691,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,685 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,570,000 after buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $249,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at $127,000. Finally, &PARTNERS acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter valued at $358,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments 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.