MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• MKS Inc. has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from eleven analysts, with eight analysts recommending buying the stock.
• The average 12-month price target for MKS is $119.80, with several firms adjusting their price targets recently, including an increase from Morgan Stanley to $112.00.
• MKS reported earnings of $1.77 per share for the latest quarter, exceeding expectations and showing a 9.7% year-over-year revenue growth.

Shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $119.80.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on shares of MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a research report on Friday, August 8th.

MKS Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $116.38 on Tuesday. MKS has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $125.33. 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 firm's 50 day moving average is $102.93 and its 200 day moving average is $89.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.94.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued 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. MKS had a net margin of 7.11% and a return on equity of 20.65%. The company had revenue of $973.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $931.05 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.53 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that MKS will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,571 shares in the company, valued at $2,159,955. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total transaction of $29,955.00. Following the sale, the director owned 19,263 shares in the company, valued at $1,923,410.55. The trade was a 1.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,600 shares of company stock worth $267,585. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of MKS

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its holdings in MKS by 35.1% in the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 17,968 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,785,000 after acquiring an additional 4,670 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in MKS in the 2nd quarter valued at $956,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in MKS in the 2nd quarter valued at $295,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in MKS by 65.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 652 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in MKS in the 2nd quarter valued at $224,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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