Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) had its price target lowered by Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $147.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the scientific and technical instruments company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target indicates a potential upside of 39.38% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on MKSI. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded up $1.80 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $105.47. The company had a trading volume of 952,094 shares, compared to its average volume of 887,235. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $110.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $110.11. 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 has a market cap of $7.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 234.38, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.66. MKS Instruments has a 12 month low of $97.54 and a 12 month high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. As a group, analysts predict that MKS Instruments will post 6.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,146,048.40. This trade represents 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 at the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $97,494,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter valued at $85,451,000. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the 3rd 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. Shapiro Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth $48,228,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 3,444.0% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 300,711 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $31,391,000 after purchasing an additional 292,226 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.