MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price Target Lowered at Wells Fargo & Company

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price objective lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $285.00 to $195.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $600.00 price target on shares of MKS in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $360.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of MKS from $360.00 to $330.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of MKS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of MKS from $345.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $366.77.

MKS Stock Up 8.7%

Shares of MKSI stock traded up $15.45 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $192.27. 2,616,226 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,346,953. MKS has a 12 month low of $134.74 and a 12 month high of $447.62. The company has a market cap of $13.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 2.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $240.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $277.02.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $4.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.55. MKS had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The company had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.93 EPS. MKS’s quarterly revenue was up 43.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that MKS will post 13.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, November 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the scientific and technical instruments company to repurchase up to 3.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

MKS Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 25th. MKS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.86%.

Insider Activity at MKS

In other news, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.01, for a total value of $3,020,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 134,776 shares in the company, valued at $40,703,699.76. This represents a 6.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.96, for a total value of $75,288.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 18,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,729,341.20. This trade represents a 1.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aberdeen Group plc purchased a new position in shares of MKS during the third quarter valued at about $19,819,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in MKS by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,509 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of MKS by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 70,594 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $18,733,000 after purchasing an additional 1,789 shares during the period. Andar Capital Management HK Ltd bought a new position in shares of MKS in the 3rd quarter worth $3,715,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of MKS by 260.1% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,361 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $361,000 after buying an additional 983 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MKS beat third-quarter estimates, reporting adjusted EPS of $4.18 versus roughly $3.63 expected. Revenue rose 43% year over year, supported by strong semiconductor demand. Zacks Q3 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Management pointed to AI-fueled demand, capacity expansion and improving margins, and forecast fourth-quarter adjusted EPS of $4.62–$5.38—signaling potential for continued growth. Zacks earnings-call highlights
• Positive Sentiment: The company authorized a $500 million share repurchase program, which may support demand for the stock and signals the board’s willingness to return capital to shareholders. $500 million buyback announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms cut their price targets, tempering the positive earnings news. Deutsche Bank lowered its target to $240 from $385 but maintained Buy; Citigroup cut to $350 from $430 and also kept Buy. Wells Fargo reduced its target to $195 from $285 and maintained Equal Weight. Deutsche Bank target update Citigroup target update Wells Fargo target update

MKS Company Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc (NASDAQ: MKSI) develops technologies that enable precision control and measurement in manufacturing and research environments. The company provides instruments, components, systems and process-control solutions used to measure and control pressure, flow, vacuum, gas delivery, temperature and other critical production conditions.

Its product portfolio includes vacuum solutions, pressure and flow-control instruments, gas and vapor delivery systems, plasma and reactive-gas technologies, power delivery systems, process-monitoring equipment, analytical instruments and materials-characterization tools.