Needham & Company LLC Boosts MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target to $153.00

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its target price boosted by Needham & Company LLC from $145.00 to $153.00 in a research report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. Needham & Company LLC currently has a buy rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. TheStreet upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Benchmark restated a buy rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Friday, May 10th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $141.25.

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $131.01 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $124.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $110.13. MKS Instruments has a 1-year low of $63.44 and a 1-year high of $135.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 3.69 and a quick ratio of 2.34. The firm has a market cap of $8.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 1.69.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.43. MKS Instruments had a negative net margin of 48.24% and a positive return on equity of 13.90%. The firm had revenue of $868.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $848.94 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.48 EPS. MKS Instruments’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments will post 4.49 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 24th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently -3.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 7,411 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total value of $910,737.79. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,999 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,284,147.11. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total value of $30,722.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,161 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,125,795.29. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 7,411 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total transaction of $910,737.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,999 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,284,147.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,911 shares of company stock worth $974,710 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in MKS Instruments in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 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.