Cantor Fitzgerald Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by Cantor Fitzgerald from $110.00 to $120.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the scientific and technical instruments company's stock.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of MKS from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on MKS from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of MKS from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $130.82.

MKS Stock Performance

MKSI traded down $0.97 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $99.31. The stock had a trading volume of 424,817 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,049,761. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.64, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.84. MKS has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The company's 50-day moving average price is $84.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $92.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 3.11.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $913.59 million. MKS had a return on equity of 20.67% and a net margin of 6.21%. MKS's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.18 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that MKS will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. MKS's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.27%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in MKS by 41.8% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,250,085 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $260,494,000 after acquiring an additional 958,607 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in MKS in the 4th quarter valued at about $97,494,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in MKS in the 4th quarter valued at $85,451,000. Channing Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in MKS during the first quarter worth about $44,320,000. Finally, Madison Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in MKS by 52.9% during the first quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 1,428,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $114,466,000 after acquiring an additional 494,207 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.