Needham & Company LLC Cuts MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target to $140.00

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by equities researchers at Needham & Company LLC from $145.00 to $140.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the scientific and technical instruments company's stock. Needham & Company LLC's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 54.27% from the stock's previous close.

MKSI has been the subject of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark lowered their target price on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $135.17.

MKS Instruments Trading Up 13.4%

MKS Instruments stock traded up $10.70 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $90.75. The stock had a trading volume of 2,498,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,076,614. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The stock has a market cap of $6.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. MKS Instruments has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $147.40. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $75.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $97.07.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. The company had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.18 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that MKS Instruments will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,607,324.64. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gerard G. Colella sold 8,000 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.53, for a total value of $836,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 60,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,273,577.01. The trade was a 11.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth $97,494,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth $85,451,000. Barclays PLC boosted its position in MKS Instruments by 108.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,019,134 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $110,789,000 after purchasing an additional 530,620 shares during the last quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC boosted its position in MKS Instruments 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 purchasing an additional 494,207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Shapiro Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in MKS Instruments in the fourth quarter worth $48,228,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

About MKS Instruments

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.