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

Shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $231.50.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MKSI. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on MKS from $187.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of MKS from $215.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on MKS from $175.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of MKS from $122.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on MKS from $200.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $249.42 on Friday. MKS has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $266.08. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $193.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $149.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 2.86. The company has a market capitalization of $16.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.95.

MKS Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at MKS

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,011,514.03. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of MKS in the fourth quarter worth about $147,453,000. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS by 146.4% in the second quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 912,380 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $90,654,000 after purchasing an additional 542,094 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its holdings in shares of MKS by 159.7% in the fourth quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 839,773 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $134,196,000 after purchasing an additional 516,409 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in MKS by 9,165.9% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 446,248 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $55,232,000 after purchasing an additional 441,432 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Channing Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in MKS by 79.3% during the 2nd quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 991,298 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $98,495,000 after buying an additional 438,338 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About MKS

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.