MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target Raised to $170.00 at Needham & Company LLC

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price objective upped by Needham & Company LLC from $136.00 to $170.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho raised their price target on MKS from $118.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Zacks Research downgraded MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on MKS from $92.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $175.00 price target on shares of MKS and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.64.

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI stock traded down $0.45 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $154.80. The company had a trading volume of 1,522,310 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,196,417. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.99. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $127.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $104.85. MKS has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $157.23. The firm has a market cap of $10.40 billion, a PE ratio of 39.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 2.00.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. MKS had a net margin of 7.11% and a return on equity of 20.65%. The company had revenue of $988.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $963.87 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. MKS has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.930-2.610 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that MKS will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. MKS’s payout ratio is 22.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.14, for a total value of $36,642.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,562 shares in the company, valued at $1,412,182.68. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total transaction of $29,955.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 19,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,923,410.55. This trade represents a 1.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,600 shares of company stock valued at $716,597. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in MKS by 4.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,752,097 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $959,477,000 after acquiring an additional 295,480 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of MKS by 5.2% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,515,373 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $281,758,000 after acquiring an additional 173,945 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of MKS by 9.7% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,388,639 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $271,599,000 after purchasing an additional 300,356 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in MKS by 41.8% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,250,085 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $260,494,000 after purchasing an additional 958,607 shares during the period. Finally, Madison Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in MKS by 52.9% in the 1st quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 1,428,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $114,466,000 after purchasing an additional 494,207 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

About MKS

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.