MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $123.00.

MKSI has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded MKS Instruments from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Benchmark lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $85.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. TheStreet raised MKS Instruments from a "d+" rating to a "c-" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. KeyCorp lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $1,100,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 78,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,581,870. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 7,411 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total value of $910,737.79. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,999 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,284,147.11. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $1,100,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 78,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,581,870. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 60,776 shares of company stock valued at $7,326,307 over the last 90 days. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 16.7% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 7,133 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,070,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.9% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 14,882 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,232,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the first quarter valued at approximately $342,000. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the first quarter valued at approximately $345,000. Finally, AlphaCrest Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the first quarter valued at approximately $320,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 0.8 %

MKSI stock traded up $1.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $129.45. 531,532 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 641,608. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $123.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a current ratio of 3.18. The company has a market cap of $8.68 billion, a PE ratio of -4.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 1.67. MKS Instruments has a one year low of $63.44 and a one year high of $135.51.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $893.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $845.25 million. MKS Instruments had a positive return on equity of 9.95% and a negative net margin of 50.80%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.00 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that MKS Instruments will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3.19%.

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.