MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Given “Buy” Rating at Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $156.00 price objective on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on 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. 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 note on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.75.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $114.05 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $110.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.27. MKS Instruments has a 52-week low of $97.54 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The company has a market cap of $7.68 billion, a PE ratio of 253.44, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $896.00 million during 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 firm’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments will post 6.34 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is 195.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. 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

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.9% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,659 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 2.2% during the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 5,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $949,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,942 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $537,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

About MKS Instruments

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.