Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) had its price objective reduced by Morgan Stanley from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the scientific and technical instruments company's stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on MKSI. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $142.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.00.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKS Instruments stock traded down $1.69 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $110.86. 987,512 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 820,771. MKS Instruments has a 12-month low of $93.88 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The company has a market cap of $7.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 250.11, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $108.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $116.88. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $874.29 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current 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 was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio is currently 195.56%.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.90, for a total value of $27,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 10,283 shares in the company, valued at $1,119,818.70. This trade represents a 2.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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 directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 825 shares of company stock valued at $92,853. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 53.7% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the second quarter worth $39,000. BOKF NA acquired a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments during the second quarter valued at $39,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.