MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price Up 11.9% on Analyst Upgrade

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 11.9% on Monday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $85.00 to $93.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. MKS Instruments traded as high as $90.54 and last traded at $89.55. Approximately 574,083 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 46% from the average daily volume of 1,069,221 shares. The stock had previously closed at $80.05.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark cut their price objective on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $135.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56% 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. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. This represents a 11.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 86.3% during the first quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 26,106 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $2,092,000 after buying an additional 12,092 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.2% in the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 132,629 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $10,630,000 after purchasing an additional 1,623 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 7.8% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 718,239 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $57,567,000 after purchasing an additional 51,836 shares during the last quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the first quarter worth about $2,557,000. Finally, Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the first quarter worth about $286,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $6.04 billion, a PE ratio of 31.91, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $75.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.14.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. The firm had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $913.59 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments 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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