MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Has Average Price Target of $375.93 According to Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a moderately bullish outlook: Sixteen brokerages give MKS a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with an average 12-month price target of $375.93.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: MKS reported EPS of $3.30 versus the $2.91 consensus and revenue of $1.25 billion, up 28.3% year over year.
• The stock has declined sharply: Shares opened at $211.14, well below their 52-week high of $447.62, while institutional investors continue to hold approximately 99.79% of the company.

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $375.93.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MKSI. Wall Street Zen raised MKS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $600.00 target price on shares of MKS in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on MKS from $360.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Mizuho dropped their price target on MKS from $360.00 to $330.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded MKS from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th.

Insider Activity at MKS

In other MKS news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.96, for a total transaction of $75,288.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 18,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,729,341.20. This trade represents a 1.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John Williams sold 457 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.31, for a total transaction of $131,757.67. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,181,494.38. This trade represents a 10.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,757 shares of company stock valued at $3,227,146. Insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of MKS

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Spyglass Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS in the second quarter valued at $52,720,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of MKS during the second quarter valued at $231,673,000. Dorsey Wright & Associates purchased a new stake in MKS during the 1st quarter worth about $1,329,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in MKS by 42.2% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 44,846 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $19,948,000 after purchasing an additional 13,299 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in MKS by 3,011.9% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 19,294 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $4,434,000 after purchasing an additional 18,674 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of MKSI opened at $211.14 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The firm's 50-day moving average is $262.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $300.01. MKS has a twelve month low of $130.72 and a twelve month high of $447.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.67, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 2.03.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $1.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. MKS had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 28.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.77 EPS. MKS has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.890 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that MKS will post 13.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 25th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. MKS's payout ratio is currently 15.95%.

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.

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