Morgan Stanley Increases MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target to $93.00

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target upped by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $85.00 to $93.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 16.05% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also commented on MKSI. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.17.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKSI opened at $80.14 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.62, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $75.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.16. MKS Instruments has a 1-year low of $54.84 and a 1-year high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. On average, analysts expect that MKS Instruments will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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 shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total transaction of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This trade represents a 11.76 % 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 insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 1.0% during the 4th 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 buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 4.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in MKS Instruments by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,952,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in MKS Instruments by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,068 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. 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.