MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy

Key Points

• MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) has been downgraded from a "strong-buy" to a "buy" rating by Wall Street Zen, reflecting a shift in analyst sentiment.
• Goldman Sachs initiated coverage with a "sell" rating and a $90 price target, while Needham & Company reduced their price objective from $140 to $130, indicating varied perspectives among researchers.
• MKS reported earnings of $1.77 per share in its latest quarterly results, exceeding analyst expectations, with revenues rising to $973 million, a 9.7% increase year-over-year.

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Sunday.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on MKSI. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on MKS in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $90.00 price target for the company. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on 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 lifted their price target on MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a report on Friday, August 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $119.80.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of MKSI traded down $0.90 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $115.10. 1,321,788 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 910,320. The stock has a market cap of $7.73 billion, a PE ratio of 29.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.94. 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 simple moving average is $102.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $89.87. MKS has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $125.33.

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

MKS Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total value of $29,955.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,923,410.55. The trade was a 1.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total value of $27,630.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,862 shares in the company, valued at $1,092,490.20. This trade represents a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,600 shares of company stock valued at $267,585 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in MKS in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Optimum Investment Advisors increased its stake in MKS by 66.7% in the 1st 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 position in MKS in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in MKS in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of MKS by 89.3% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.