MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $102.40.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $113.00 to $96.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 2nd. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, TheStreet downgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “c-” rating to a “d+” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 3rd.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of MKSI opened at $76.56 on Friday. MKS Instruments has a one year low of $63.44 and a one year high of $114.15. The company has a market cap of $5.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.31 and a quick ratio of 2.11. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $78.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $91.60.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 1st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.46. The business had revenue of $932.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.50 million. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 45.04% and a positive return on equity of 10.10%. The company’s revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.74 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 4.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, November 27th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is -3.42%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.30, for a total transaction of $2,432,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 20,547 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,999,223.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other MKS Instruments news, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.30, for a total transaction of $2,432,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 20,547 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,999,223.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Philip Henry purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $68.34 per share, for a total transaction of $170,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $756,728.82. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 35,500 shares of company stock worth $3,478,200 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Creative Planning boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 34,816 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $3,013,000 after purchasing an additional 4,953 shares in the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 25,113 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,173,000 after purchasing an additional 2,064 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 4,539 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $393,000 after purchasing an additional 776 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 294.2% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 189,323 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $16,384,000 after purchasing an additional 141,290 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Scotia Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 7,261 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $628,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.25% 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, and internationally. It operates through Vacuum Solutions Division, Photonics Solutions Division, and Material Solutions Division.