Morgan Stanley Lowers MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target to $150.00

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target cut by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 33.27% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Citigroup lowered shares of MKS Instruments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $145.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.00.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $112.55 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The firm has a market cap of $7.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 250.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. MKS Instruments has a 12 month low of $90.90 and a 12 month high of $147.40. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $108.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.88.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. MKS Instruments’s revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing 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 that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. The trade was a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 825 shares of company stock valued at $92,853. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 5.9% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,659 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 2.2% during the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 5,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 1.3% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $949,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 2.4% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,942 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $537,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 62.6% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About MKS Instruments

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.