The Goldman Sachs Group Issues Positive Forecast for MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its target price boosted by equities researchers at The Goldman Sachs Group from $128.00 to $129.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s target price suggests a potential upside of 24.43% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on MKSI. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $156.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 0.2 %

MKSI stock opened at $103.67 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $110.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.30. MKS Instruments has a 52 week low of $97.54 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a market capitalization of $6.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 230.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.66.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. On average, analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 6.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS Instruments 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. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value 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 represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 9,748 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,018,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,952,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,068 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.