Wall Street Zen Upgrades MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) to "Strong-Buy"

Key Points

• MKS has been upgraded to a Strong-Buy rating by Wall Street Zen, marking a shift from its previous Buy rating.
• The company's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $1.77, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.61, with a revenue of $973 million for the quarter.
• A growing number of institutional investors, including Wellington Management and Norges Bank, have increased their holdings in MKS, indicating strong investor confidence.

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a report on Friday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of MKS in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $119.80.

MKS Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of MKSI stock traded up $1.48 on Friday, hitting $101.72. 651,402 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 945,205. The business has a 50-day moving average of $101.67 and a 200 day moving average of $89.57. MKS has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week 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 has a market capitalization of $6.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.94.

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

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS

In other news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total transaction of $27,630.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,092,490.20. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,159,955. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,600 shares of company stock worth $267,585. Insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in MKS during the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Optimum Investment Advisors lifted 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 acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Steph & Co. bought a new position in MKS during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in MKS during the 2nd quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in MKS by 89.3% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the period. 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.