Cantor Fitzgerald Initiates Coverage on MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) in a report published on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued an overweight rating and a $140.00 price target on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald also issued estimates for MKS Instruments’ FY2024 earnings at $5.67 EPS.

MKSI has been the subject of several other reports. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Monday, August 5th. They set an overweight rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set a neutral rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $153.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $144.20.

MKS Instruments Price Performance

MKS Instruments stock opened at $111.85 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $7.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $119.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.24. MKS Instruments has a 12-month low of $63.44 and a 12-month high of $147.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.58, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 0.25% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. Equities analysts expect that MKS Instruments will post 5.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is presently -3.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS Instruments

In other news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares in the company, valued at $1,543.23. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 1,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.71, for a total transaction of $213,678.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13 shares in the company, valued at $1,543.23. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.46, for a total transaction of $30,865.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,533 shares in the company, valued at $1,300,404.18. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,325 shares of company stock worth $276,435. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 143.1% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,141,676 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $282,102,000 after buying an additional 1,260,792 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth about $117,672,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments during the fourth quarter worth about $60,664,000. Shellback Capital LP purchased a new stake in MKS Instruments during the second quarter worth about $34,541,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Instruments by 219.5% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 348,024 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $45,445,000 after buying an additional 239,099 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Company Profile

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.