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 analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $143.00 to $128.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 18.16% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on MKSI. Citigroup upgraded shares of MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of MKS Instruments from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of MKS Instruments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.75.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of MKS Instruments stock traded down $2.83 on Friday, reaching $108.33. The company had a trading volume of 114,238 shares, compared to its average volume of 688,778. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 3.42. The firm has a market cap of $7.29 billion, a PE ratio of 240.73, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.66. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $110.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $896.00 million during 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%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that MKS Instruments will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS Instruments

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake 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 valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position 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 worth $38,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. BOKF NA bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 2nd quarter worth about $43,000. 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.