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

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target reduced by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price indicates a potential upside of 36.49% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho upgraded MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Citigroup lowered shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price target for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.00.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKS Instruments stock opened at $109.90 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 244.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. The business has a 50-day moving average of $108.79 and a 200 day moving average of $116.63. MKS Instruments has a 12 month low of $93.88 and a 12 month high of $147.40.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 value of $31,187.75. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 825 shares of company stock worth $92,853. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. Key Financial Inc acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the second quarter valued at $39,000. BOKF NA purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth about $39,000. 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.