MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target Lowered to $128.00 at The Goldman Sachs Group

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its target price lowered by equities research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $143.00 to $128.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 18.16% from the stock’s current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on MKSI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Mizuho raised shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.75.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI traded down $2.83 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $108.33. The stock had a trading volume of 114,238 shares, compared to its average volume of 688,778. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 240.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.91. MKS Instruments has a 52 week low of $97.54 and a 52 week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $874.29 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 15.79%. MKS Instruments’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that MKS Instruments will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total value of $34,440.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total transaction of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. This trade represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in MKS Instruments by 196.9% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. BOKF NA bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of MKS Instruments by 53.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.