MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Upgraded at Citigroup

Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Monday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $130.00 target price on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in 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 on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.83.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $111.16 on Monday. MKS Instruments has a 52-week low of $97.54 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $109.78 and a 200 day moving average of $113.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 247.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.66.

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

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 195.56%.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,146,048.40. This trade represents a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 196.9% in the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 53.7% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. BOKF NA bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 62.6% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.