Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) had its target price upped by Morgan Stanley from $93.00 to $100.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the scientific and technical instruments company's stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised MKS Instruments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Benchmark dropped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $134.92.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKSI stock traded down $1.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $86.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 165,419 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,053,305. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The company's 50 day moving average is $76.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.89. MKS Instruments has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The stock has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a PE ratio of 30.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $913.59 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. MKS Instruments's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.18 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that MKS Instruments will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 9,748 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,018,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in MKS Instruments by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its position in MKS Instruments by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,700 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,952,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in MKS Instruments by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,068 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in MKS Instruments by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments 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.