MKS Inc. $MKSI Position Cut by Madison Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Madison Asset Management cut its MKS position by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 54,641 shares and leaving it with 921,450 shares worth about $147.2 million. MKS remained a meaningful holding, representing 1.7% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Analyst sentiment is constructive, with several firms recently lifting price targets, including Cantor Fitzgerald to $400 and Needham to $360. The stock currently carries a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $317.23.
• MKS reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates with $2.30 per share on $1.08 billion in sales, while revenue rose 15.2% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share and provided Q2 2026 EPS guidance of $2.60 to $3.20.

Madison Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 921,450 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 54,641 shares during the quarter. MKS accounts for 1.7% of Madison Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Madison Asset Management LLC owned about 1.37% of MKS worth $147,248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of MKS by 9,165.9% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 446,248 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $55,232,000 after purchasing an additional 441,432 shares in the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC grew its position in MKS by 63.4% in the 2nd quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 878,114 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $87,249,000 after buying an additional 340,645 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. increased its stake in MKS by 316.9% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 426,509 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $52,789,000 after buying an additional 324,195 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new stake in shares of MKS during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,023,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of MKS by 44.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 982,643 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $97,635,000 after acquiring an additional 301,223 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of MKS from $215.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on MKS from $300.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $354.00 price target on shares of MKS in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "sell" rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of MKS in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on shares of MKS from $300.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $317.23.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gerald G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.97, for a total transaction of $2,539,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 40,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,163,117.49. This trade represents a 19.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 4,355 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $319.94, for a total transaction of $1,393,338.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 49,439 shares in the company, valued at $15,817,513.66. The trade was a 8.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 72,858 shares of company stock worth $18,681,438. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

MKS Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $311.72 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. MKS Inc. has a 12 month low of $80.22 and a 12 month high of $326.83. The company has a market cap of $21.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.98. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $253.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $209.32.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.30. MKS had a return on equity of 21.49% and a net margin of 8.06%.The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.71 EPS. MKS's revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. MKS has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.600-3.200 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 11.05 EPS for the current year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 3rd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 3rd. MKS's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.92%.

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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