Analysts Set MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Target Price at $147.86

Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $147.86.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MKSI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price objective on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

MKS Instruments stock opened at $123.40 on Thursday. MKS Instruments has a 52 week low of $63.44 and a 52 week high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $123.77.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.43. MKS Instruments had a positive return on equity of 13.90% and a negative net margin of 48.24%. The business had revenue of $868.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $848.94 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.48 earnings per share. MKS Instruments’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -3.30%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.41, for a total transaction of $35,587.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,209 shares in the company, valued at $2,356,426.69. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in MKS Instruments by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 180,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $18,544,000 after purchasing an additional 9,962 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments during the first quarter valued at approximately $918,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $117,672,000. Crestline Management LP acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth $3,498,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,892,941 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $709,077,000 after buying an additional 39,045 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.