MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target Lowered to $147.00 at Morgan Stanley

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target lowered by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $147.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target suggests a potential upside of 40.38% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup raised shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.67.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 0.8 %

MKS Instruments stock opened at $104.72 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 232.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.66. MKS Instruments has a 1-year low of $97.54 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $110.50. 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 (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. Research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments will post 6.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were 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 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 MKS Instruments 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 completion of the sale, the director now 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. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 58.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

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.