Cantor Fitzgerald Reiterates Overweight Rating for MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI)

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating restated by research analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $140.00 price target on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 31.29% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $156.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on MKS Instruments from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Citigroup upgraded MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four equities 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.75.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 4.1 %

MKSI traded down $4.57 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $106.64. 639,306 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 843,085. MKS Instruments has a fifty-two week low of $97.54 and a fifty-two week high of $147.40. The company has a market cap of $7.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 238.09, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.42 and a quick ratio of 2.21. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $111.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $110.55.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 15.79% and a net margin of 0.90%. As a group, analysts forecast that MKS Instruments will post 6.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,146,048.40. This trade represents a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.41, for a total value of $31,187.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,659 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,707.19. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 470.8% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,348 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $581,000 after acquiring an additional 4,411 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its position in MKS Instruments by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 33,675 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $3,661,000 after purchasing an additional 1,832 shares in the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 3rd quarter valued at $227,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 277.0% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in shares of MKS Instruments by 22.5% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,718 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 499 shares during the period. 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.