MKS Instruments’ (MKSI) Buy Rating Reaffirmed at Benchmark

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by research analysts at Benchmark in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $142.00 target price on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Benchmark’s price objective points to a potential upside of 33.10% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $129.00 price objective on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, August 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.09.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded up $1.21 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $106.69. 75,924 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 823,242. The business has a 50-day moving average of $106.81 and a 200-day moving average of $118.83. MKS Instruments has a 1 year low of $75.58 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 237.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.63.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $874.29 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. MKS Instruments’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that MKS Instruments will post 6.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. The trade was a 1.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,119,818.70. The trade was a 2.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 78,093 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $10,387,000 after buying an additional 5,184 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 46,575 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $6,198,000 after buying an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. K2 Principal Fund L.P. purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $944,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $233,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.