Citigroup Lowers MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) to Neutral

by · The Markets Daily

Citigroup cut shares of MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI – Free Report) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report issued on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has $120.00 price objective on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $145.00.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Benchmark restated a buy rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on MKS Instruments from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen increased their target price on MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on MKS Instruments in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. They set an overweight rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $142.00.

Read Our Latest Analysis on MKS Instruments

MKS Instruments Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $107.84 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 3.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $124.08. The stock has a market cap of $7.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.10, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.64. MKS Instruments has a 52 week low of $63.44 and a 52 week high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $887.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $866.38 million. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 0.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that MKS Instruments will post 5.6 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. MKS Instruments’s payout ratio is -3.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS Instruments news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total value of $213,678.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,543.23. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $31,891.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,079,805.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total value of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,543.23. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,325 shares of company stock valued at $276,435 in the last quarter. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS Instruments

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,659 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $217,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 3,574 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $475,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 62.6% during the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 309 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. Verity Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. Verity Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,085 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $277,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 23.0% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 937 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $122,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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