Brokerages Set MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target at $140.08

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $140.08.

MKSI has been the topic of several research reports. Benchmark cut their price target on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 60,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Barclays PLC boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $110,789,000 after purchasing an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter valued at $763,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 65.7% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 31,849 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,462,000 after buying an additional 12,628 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 26.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 23,311 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,626,000 after buying an additional 4,846 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Stock Up 12.5 %

Shares of MKSI traded up $7.85 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $70.71. 281,862 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,021,219. The company has a market cap of $4.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.81. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. MKS Instruments has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $81.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $99.98.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. Research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is 31.43%.

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.