Cantor Fitzgerald Reaffirms Overweight Rating for MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Cantor Fitzgerald reissued their overweight rating on shares of MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Cantor Fitzgerald currently has a $140.00 target price on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on MKSI. Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $156.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.75.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 6.6 %

MKSI opened at $103.84 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $110.99 and a 200-day moving average of $110.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 230.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. MKS Instruments has a 1-year low of $97.54 and a 1-year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments will post 6.34 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 195.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, 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 stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CWM LLC raised its position in MKS Instruments by 470.8% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,348 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $581,000 after purchasing an additional 4,411 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 5.8% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 33,675 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $3,661,000 after acquiring an additional 1,832 shares during the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the third quarter worth $227,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 277.0% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 856 shares during the period. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 22.5% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,718 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.