MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Given New $195.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Key Points

• Wells Fargo cut its MKS price target to $195 from $285 and maintained an Equal Weight rating, implying about 3.9% upside from the share price cited in the report.
• MKS reported quarterly EPS of $4.18, beating the $3.63 consensus, while revenue of $1.41 billion exceeded estimates and rose 43% year over year.
• The company authorized a $500 million share-repurchase program, covering up to 3.6% of its outstanding shares. Analysts’ overall consensus remained Moderate Buy, with a $359.14 average price target.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by Wells Fargo & Company from $285.00 to $195.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the scientific and technical instruments company's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target would indicate a potential upside of 3.92% from the company's current price.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MKS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of MKS from $345.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on MKS from $390.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Mizuho lowered their price target on MKS from $360.00 to $330.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered MKS from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $359.14.

MKS Stock Up 6.1%

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded up $10.82 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $187.64. The company had a trading volume of 298,715 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,384,884. MKS has a 1-year low of $134.74 and a 1-year high of $447.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The firm's 50 day moving average is $241.71 and its 200-day moving average is $277.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 2.14.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $4.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.55. MKS had a net margin of 12.64% and a return on equity of 29.90%. The business had revenue of $1.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.93 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 43.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that MKS will post 13.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, November 4th that permits the company to repurchase $500 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the scientific and technical instruments company to buy up to 3.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at MKS

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.96, for a total value of $75,288.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,845 shares in the company, valued at $4,729,341.20. The trade was a 1.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.01, for a total value of $3,020,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 134,776 shares of the company's stock, valued at $40,703,699.76. This trade represents a 6.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in MKS in the second quarter valued at about $231,673,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in MKS by 1,742.1% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 442,273 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $117,362,000 after acquiring an additional 418,264 shares in the last quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in MKS during the second quarter worth about $140,866,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MKS in the second quarter worth about $128,303,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of MKS by 12.5% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 259,749 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $59,693,000 after acquiring an additional 28,850 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

More MKS News

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 adjusted EPS of $4.18 beat estimates of about $3.63, and revenue of $1.41 billion exceeded forecasts of $1.36 billion, rising 43% year over year. The company also reported record adjusted EBITDA. MKS Q3 results
• Positive Sentiment: Management pointed to AI-driven semiconductor demand as a growth driver and forecast Q4 adjusted EPS of $4.62–$5.38, supporting expectations for continued momentum. Earnings call outlook
• Positive Sentiment: MKS authorized a $500 million share-repurchase program—up to 3.6% of shares—and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share. Buybacks can support per-share earnings and signal confidence in the company’s outlook. Repurchase and dividend announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Needham cut its price target to $300 from $390, a sizable reduction that could weigh on sentiment, although it maintained a Buy rating. Needham rating

About MKS

MKS Instruments, Inc NASDAQ: MKSI develops technologies that enable precision control and measurement in manufacturing and research environments. The company provides instruments, components, systems and process-control solutions used to measure and control pressure, flow, vacuum, gas delivery, temperature and other critical production conditions.

Its product portfolio includes vacuum solutions, pressure and flow-control instruments, gas and vapor delivery systems, plasma and reactive-gas technologies, power delivery systems, process-monitoring equipment, analytical instruments and materials-characterization tools.

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