MKS Inc. $MKSI Shares Purchased by Blue Grotto Capital LLC

Key Points

• Blue Grotto Capital boosted its stake in MKS by 13.2% to 211,848 shares (0.32% of the company) worth about $26.2M, and institutional investors now own roughly 99.79% of the stock.
• MKS slightly missed the latest quarter with $2.47 EPS vs. $2.51 expected while revenue rose to $1.03B (+10.5% YoY); management set Q1 2026 guidance of $1.72–$2.28 and analysts forecast ~6.94 EPS for the year with a consensus price target of $273.46.
• Corporate insiders sold a total of 68,163 shares (~$17.2M) in the last quarter—reducing insider ownership to 0.57%—as the stock trades at a rich valuation (trailing P/E ~48.9) after a strong rally.

Blue Grotto Capital LLC boosted its holdings in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 211,848 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after buying an additional 24,697 shares during the quarter. MKS makes up about 3.0% of Blue Grotto Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Blue Grotto Capital LLC owned 0.32% of MKS worth $26,220,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MKS during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in MKS during the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in MKS in the third quarter valued at approximately $65,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $213.49 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $225.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $169.03. MKS Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.84 and a 52-week high of $269.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.36 billion, a PE ratio of 48.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.51 by ($0.04). MKS had a return on equity of 20.85% and a net margin of 7.53%.The company had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.15 EPS. MKS's revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a $0.25 dividend. This is a boost from MKS's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gerald G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 40,017 shares in the company, valued at $10,163,117.49. The trade was a 19.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 4,254 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,063,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 53,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,448,500. This represents a 7.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 68,163 shares of company stock valued at $17,215,417. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of MKS from $135.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of MKS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of MKS in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Mizuho set a $320.00 price target on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of MKS from $185.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $273.46.

Trending Headlines about MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MKS announced that its near‑term science‑based emissions reduction targets were approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a credibility boost for the company’s ESG profile that can broaden investor interest. MKS Inc. Announces SBTi Approval of Science-Based Emissions Reduction Targets
• Positive Sentiment: Research firm Zacks issued a string of upward revisions and maintains a "Strong‑Buy" stance — raising near‑term and multi‑year EPS forecasts (multiple quarters, FY2026–FY2028). Those estimate lifts support a continued growth narrative and may underpin longer‑term upside.
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlights accelerating end‑market demand tied to AI and a photonics product launch as drivers for recent share‑price gains; analysts and investors have been re‑rating the stock on that secular exposure. Assessing MKS Instruments (MKSI) Valuation After AI Demand And Photonics Launch Fuel Strong Share Price Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Investor letters and market notes point to improving end markets contributing to MKS’s momentum, reinforcing demand recovery themes that support revenue and margin outlooks. MKS (MKSI) Gained from End Markets Picking Up
• Neutral Sentiment: Amid many upward revisions, Zacks made a small downward tweak to one quarter (Q2 2027) — a minor calibration versus the broader set of raises; overall Zacks remains bullish.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the positive newsflow, the stock is pulling back — most likely due to profit‑taking after a strong run (valuation is rich: trailing P/E ~48.9) and lingering sensitivity to quarterly beats/misses. The company slightly missed the most recent quarterly EPS consensus by $0.04, which can amplify short‑term volatility and sell‑side caution.

MKS Profile

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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