MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target Lowered to $145.00 at Needham & Company LLC

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price objective lowered by Needham & Company LLC from $156.00 to $145.00 in a report issued on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

MKSI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $103.67 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $110.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $110.36. The firm has a market cap of $6.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 230.38, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.66. 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 52-week low of $97.54 and a 52-week high of $147.40.

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

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments 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 directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 114.7% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 4,911 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $513,000 after purchasing an additional 2,624 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 25,873 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,701,000 after purchasing an additional 2,313 shares in the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 54.0% in the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 20,411 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,131,000 after purchasing an additional 7,154 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 608,382 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $63,509,000 after purchasing an additional 103,257 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 33.4% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 491,497 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $51,307,000 after purchasing an additional 123,056 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.