Intech Investment Management LLC Makes New $554,000 Investment in MKS Inc. $MKSI

Key Points

• Intech Investment Management initiated a new position in MKS, buying 4,477 shares (~$554,000) in Q3, adding to broad institutional inflows that leave institutional ownership at about 99.79%.
• Heavy insider selling—insiders disposed of 68,163 shares (~$17.2M) over the last 90 days, including sizable EVP sales that substantially reduced their holdings, a potential negative signal for some investors.
• Bullish analyst and dividend momentum: MKS raised its quarterly dividend to $0.25 (annualized $1.00) and several brokers lifted price targets and ratings, producing a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average target near $273.46.

Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,477 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock, valued at approximately $554,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MKS in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in MKS by 74.5% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 260 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in MKS in the third quarter worth $38,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in MKS in the second quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in MKS in the third quarter valued at $49,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John Edward Williams sold 2,043 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.41, for a total value of $523,845.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,640 shares in the company, valued at $933,332.40. This trade represents a 35.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Eric Robert Taranto sold 4,568 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.52, for a total transaction of $1,007,335.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,445 shares in the company, valued at $3,405,931.40. This represents a 22.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 68,163 shares of company stock valued at $17,215,417. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of MKSI opened at $224.25 on Thursday. MKS Inc. has a one year low of $54.84 and a one year high of $269.91. The stock's fifty day moving average is $224.65 and its 200-day moving average is $168.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 2.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.94.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.51 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. MKS had a return on equity of 20.85% and a net margin of 7.53%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.15 EPS. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from MKS's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.88%.

MKS News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised earnings estimates across multiple quarters and moved to a "Strong‑Buy," lifting FY2027 and FY2028 forecasts materially (FY2027 to $9.98 and FY2028 to $14.56), implying stronger future growth expectations for MKS. This analyst backing can support upward momentum.
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment has been turning favorable — several firms (Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Cantor Fitzgerald, Morgan Stanley) have raised price targets and reiterated buy/overweight ratings; MarketBeat shows a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target ~ $273.46 — positive for investor sentiment.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike: MKS increased the quarterly dividend to $0.25 ($1.00 annualized) from $0.22, keeping payout ratio modest (~23%) and signaling confidence in cash flow. This supports income-oriented demand.
• Positive Sentiment: Large institutional inflows: notable new and expanded stakes from Norges Bank, Southpoint, Frontier Capital, Westfield and Millennium show strong institutional conviction and add stability to the shareholder base.
• Neutral Sentiment: MKS benefited from improving end markets per an investor letter summary (Madison Investments), suggesting demand pickup that could sustain top-line growth. MKS (MKSI) Gained from End Markets Picking Up
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed revenue beat (+10.5% YoY to ~$1.03B) but a slight EPS miss (-$0.04). Management issued Q1 guidance (EPS 1.72–2.28) — mixed near‑term read but evidence of ongoing growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP Eric Taranto sold 4,568 shares (avg ~$220.52) and has trimmed his holdings substantially across February/March, which some investors view as a negative signal. Eric Robert Taranto Sells 4,568 Shares of MKS
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~20% in February to ~3.84M shares (~5.7% of float). Elevated short activity can add volatility and downward pressure on near‑term price action.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKSI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Bank of America boosted 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of MKS from $135.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of MKS from $185.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $273.46.

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.

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