MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target Raised to $125.00

Key Points

• The Goldman Sachs Group has raised MKS's price target from $92.00 to $125.00, although the firm maintains a "sell" rating on the stock.
• Various analysts have differing ratings, with eight recommending "buy," three "hold," and one "sell;" the average price target stands at $123.30.
• MKS reported strong earnings with $1.77 EPS, exceeding estimates and achieving a 9.7% year-over-year revenue growth.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by The Goldman Sachs Group from $92.00 to $125.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "sell" rating on the scientific and technical instruments company's stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's price target points to a potential downside of 6.60% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on MKSI. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on shares of MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Zacks Research lowered shares of MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of MKS in a report on Wednesday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $123.30.

MKS Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI traded up $0.86 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $133.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 455,856 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,208,173. MKS has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $142.20. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $111.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.92. 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 cap of $8.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.96, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.97.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.16. MKS had a return on equity of 20.65% and a net margin of 7.11%.The business had revenue of $973.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $931.05 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.53 EPS. MKS's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that MKS will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.14, for a total transaction of $36,642.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,562 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,412,182.68. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Philip Henry sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $650,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,024,230. This represents a 24.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,900 shares of company stock worth $744,227. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in MKS in the second quarter worth $39,000. Optimum Investment Advisors increased its stake in MKS by 66.7% in the first quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 500 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Steph & Co. purchased a new stake in MKS in the second quarter worth $42,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in MKS in the second quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in MKS by 1,168.3% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 799 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.

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