MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Rating Lowered to Buy at Wall Street Zen

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 report released on Sunday.

Several other research firms also recently commented on MKSI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a report on Friday, August 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on MKS in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $119.80.

MKS Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded down $0.73 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $108.29. The stock had a trading volume of 989,156 shares, compared to its average volume of 881,240. The firm has a market cap of $7.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.94. MKS has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $125.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.99. The company's 50 day moving average price is $102.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $89.48.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $973.00 million for 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 revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.53 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that MKS will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at MKS

In other MKS news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 11,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,092,490.20. This trade represents a 2.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of MKS stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,571 shares of the company's stock, 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,600 shares of company stock worth $267,585. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in MKS by 5.2% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,515,373 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $281,758,000 after buying an additional 173,945 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in MKS by 9.7% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,388,639 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $271,599,000 after purchasing an additional 300,356 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in MKS by 41.8% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,250,085 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $260,494,000 after purchasing an additional 958,607 shares in the last quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS by 52.9% in 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 buying an additional 494,207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in MKS by 2.9% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,258,108 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $125,025,000 after buying an additional 35,065 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.