MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $231.50.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MKSI shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup increased their price target on MKS from $122.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. TD Cowen raised their price target on MKS from $200.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Finally, Benchmark increased their target price on MKS from $135.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.81, for a total transaction of $47,643.00. Following the sale, the director owned 18,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,011,514.03. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in MKS during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS by 560.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in MKS by 616.7% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 172 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. bought a new position in MKS in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in MKS by 74.5% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 260 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MKS Stock Performance

MKS stock opened at $249.42 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $16.75 billion, a PE ratio of 60.54, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. MKS has a 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $266.08. The company’s 50-day moving average is $193.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.27.

MKS Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. This is a positive change from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. MKS’s payout ratio is 21.36%.

MKS Company Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc (NASDAQ: MKSI) designs, manufactures and markets technology solutions that enable advanced processes in a variety of high‐technology and industrial markets. The company’s core offerings include vacuum and gas delivery systems, pressure and flow measurement instruments, optical metrology tools, photonics subsystems and critical components for manufacturing processes. These products support the precise control and monitoring needs of semiconductor, industrial manufacturing, life and health sciences, and research applications.

The company’s product portfolio features mass flow controllers, pressure transducers, vacuum gauges, gas purity monitors, laser-based metrology systems and photonic devices such as lasers and detectors.