The Goldman Sachs Group Has Lowered Expectations for MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) had its price objective lowered by The Goldman Sachs Group from $143.00 to $128.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the scientific and technical instruments company's stock.

MKSI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $141.75.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

NASDAQ MKSI traded down $2.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $109.07. The stock had a trading volume of 682,589 shares, compared to its average volume of 785,732. MKS Instruments has a twelve month low of $97.54 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21. The firm's 50 day moving average is $110.02 and its 200 day moving average is $113.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 242.38, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $896.00 million during 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,146,048.40. This represents a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. BOKF NA acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth about $39,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in MKS Instruments by 53.7% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

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.