MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Key Points

• Wells Fargo & Company has raised the target price for MKS stock from $100.00 to $108.00, indicating a potential upside of 7.95% based on the company's previous close.
• The stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with eight analysts rating it as a buy, contrasted with one sell rating.
• MKS Instruments reported $1.77 earnings per share, exceeding the consensus estimate of $1.61, alongside a revenue of $973.00 million for the quarter.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) had its price objective increased by Wells Fargo & Company from $100.00 to $108.00 in a report issued on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the scientific and technical instruments company's stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on MKSI. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on shares of MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.80.

MKS Price Performance

MKSI stock traded up $0.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $99.37. The company had a trading volume of 1,204,428 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,099,699. The company has a market capitalization of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.86. MKS has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $125.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $97.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $90.24.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $973.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $931.05 million. MKS had a net margin of 7.11% and a return on equity of 20.65%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.53 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that MKS will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. MKS's dividend payout ratio is 22.34%.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In related news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,159,955. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total transaction of $27,630.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of MKS

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in MKS in the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Optimum Investment Advisors grew 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 acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Steph & Co. bought a new position in MKS in the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in MKS in the 2nd quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in MKS by 89.3% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 581 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is 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.