Mizuho Boosts MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target to $118.00

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by equities research analysts at Mizuho from $105.00 to $118.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the scientific and technical instruments company's stock. Mizuho's target price suggests a potential upside of 13.97% from the company's current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised MKS from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on MKS in a report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on MKS from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on MKS from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $118.80.

MKS Price Performance

NASDAQ MKSI traded up $1.57 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $103.54. The stock had a trading volume of 400,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,054,201. MKS has a 52-week low of $54.84 and a 52-week high of $141.45. The company has a market cap of $6.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.88. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $93.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 3.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS had a return on equity of 20.67% and a net margin of 6.21%. The firm had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.18 EPS. MKS's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that MKS will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of MKS stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,159,955. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,445,956 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $777,283,000 after acquiring an additional 97,392 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in 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 valued at $281,758,000 after acquiring an additional 173,945 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS by 9.7% in the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,388,639 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $271,599,000 after acquiring an additional 300,356 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in MKS by 41.8% in the first 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, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in MKS by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,231,467 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $232,943,000 after purchasing an additional 6,964 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.