Is Now The Time To Look At Buying MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)?

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI), might not be a large cap stock, but it received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the NASDAQGS over the last few months, increasing to US$123 at one point, and dropping to the lows of US$58.78. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether MKS Instruments' current trading price of US$63.72 reflective of the actual value of the mid-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at MKS Instruments’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

We've discovered 4 warning signs about MKS Instruments. View them for free.

Is MKS Instruments Still Cheap?

The share price seems sensible at the moment according to our price multiple model, where we compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. In this instance, we’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. We find that MKS Instruments’s ratio of 22.62x is trading slightly above its industry peers’ ratio of 22.62x, which means if you buy MKS Instruments today, you’d be paying a relatively sensible price for it. And if you believe that MKS Instruments should be trading at this level in the long run, then there should only be a fairly immaterial downside vs other industry peers. So, is there another chance to buy low in the future? Given that MKS Instruments’s share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us an opportunity to buy later on. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility.

See our latest analysis for MKS Instruments

Can we expect growth from MKS Instruments?

Future outlook is an important aspect when you’re looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Although value investors would argue that it’s the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. With profit expected to more than double over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for MKS Instruments. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in MKSI’s positive outlook, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the track record of its management team. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at MKSI? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below the industry PE ratio?

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on MKSI, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for MKSI, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

If you'd like to know more about MKS Instruments as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for MKS Instruments (1 is significant) you should be familiar with.

If you are no longer interested in MKS Instruments, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.