Analysts Set MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target at $128.75

Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the four analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $128.75.

MKSI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Benchmark increased their price target on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com upgraded MKS Instruments from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other news, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 32,865 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.28, for a total value of $4,051,597.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 1 shares in the company, valued at $123.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CFO Seth H. Bagshaw sold 32,865 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.28, for a total transaction of $4,051,597.20. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 1 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $123.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.00, for a total value of $33,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 16,862 shares in the company, valued at $2,242,646. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,776 shares of company stock worth $6,226,307 over the last three months. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 22.7% during the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 10,694 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,422,000 after acquiring an additional 1,980 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the first quarter worth about $918,000. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 1.4% in the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 55,019 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $7,318,000 after purchasing an additional 782 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 2.2% in the first quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 22,653 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,013,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 143.1% in the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,141,676 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $282,102,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,792 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $123.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 3.18 and a quick ratio of 2.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 1.69. MKS Instruments has a 1-year low of $63.44 and a 1-year high of $135.51. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $123.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.06.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.28. MKS Instruments had a positive return on equity of 9.95% and a negative net margin of 50.80%. The company had revenue of $893.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $845.25 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments will post 4.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.