Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price objective lowered by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $285.00 to $195.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 1.42% from the stock’s previous close.

MKSI has been the subject of a number of other reports. Mizuho cut their price target on MKS from $360.00 to $330.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MKS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of MKS from $425.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on shares of MKS from $390.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $366.77.

MKS Price Performance

NASDAQ MKSI opened at $192.27 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $240.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $277.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.81, a PEG ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 2.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72. MKS has a 1-year low of $134.74 and a 1-year high of $447.62.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $4.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.55. MKS had a return on equity of 28.77% and a net margin of 12.64%. The company had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.93 earnings per share. MKS’s revenue was up 43.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that MKS will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, November 4th that permits the company to repurchase $500 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the scientific and technical instruments company to purchase up to 3.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Share repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.96, for a total transaction of $75,288.00. Following the sale, the director owned 18,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,729,341.20. This trade represents a 1.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 10,000 shares of MKS stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.01, for a total transaction of $3,020,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 134,776 shares in the company, valued at $40,703,699.76. This represents a 6.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in MKS in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in MKS during the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS in the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS in the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS by 47.5% in the second quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MKS beat third-quarter estimates, reporting adjusted EPS of $4.18 versus roughly $3.63 expected. Revenue rose 43% year over year, supported by strong semiconductor demand. Zacks Q3 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Management pointed to AI-fueled demand, capacity expansion and improving margins, and forecast fourth-quarter adjusted EPS of $4.62–$5.38—signaling potential for continued growth. Zacks earnings-call highlights
• Positive Sentiment: The company authorized a $500 million share repurchase program, which may support demand for the stock and signals the board’s willingness to return capital to shareholders. $500 million buyback announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms cut their price targets, tempering the positive earnings news. Deutsche Bank lowered its target to $240 from $385 but maintained Buy; Citigroup cut to $350 from $430 and also kept Buy. Wells Fargo reduced its target to $195 from $285 and maintained Equal Weight. Deutsche Bank target update Citigroup target update Wells Fargo target update

MKS Company Profile

MKS Inc develops technologies used to manufacture semiconductor devices and other advanced products. Its offerings include instruments, components, subsystems and systems that measure and control pressure, gas flow, gas composition, power and other process conditions.

The company also provides laser and photonics technologies, motion-control solutions, and specialty chemicals and plating equipment. These products support semiconductor fabrication and packaging, electronics manufacturing, life sciences and a range of industrial applications.

Founded in 1961 and headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, MKS serves customers around the world.