MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• MKS Inc. has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from analysts, with twelve firms covering the stock; eight analysts rated it a buy, while one rated it a sell.
• The company's latest earnings report showed an EPS of $1.77, surpassing expectations, with a revenue of $973 million and a year-over-year revenue increase of 9.7%.
• MKS recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.7%, with a payout ratio of 22.34%.

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twelve research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $123.30.

MKSI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a report on Friday, August 8th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Zacks Research lowered shares of MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 7th.

MKS Stock Down 9.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $121.26 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.97. MKS has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $142.20. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $112.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $95.43.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $973.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $931.05 million. MKS had a return on equity of 20.65% and a net margin of 7.11%.MKS's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.53 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that MKS will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. MKS's payout ratio is presently 22.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total value of $29,955.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 19,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,923,410.55. The trade was a 1.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Philip Henry sold 5,000 shares of MKS stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $650,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,024,230. This trade represents a 24.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,900 shares of company stock worth $744,227 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in MKS by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,408 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $353,000 after buying an additional 439 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in MKS by 33.7% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 11,973 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $960,000 after buying an additional 3,021 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its stake in MKS by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,881 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $631,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in MKS by 535.5% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,631 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 2,217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in MKS by 13.7% in the 1st quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 2,742 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $220,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS 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.

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