MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.30 EPS

Key Points

• MKS beat expectations in Q1 with EPS of $2.30 (vs. $2.00 consensus) and revenue of $1.08B, up 15.2% year-over-year.
• The company raised Q2 2026 guidance to $2.60–$3.20 EPS and revenue around $1.2B, both above Street estimates, signaling continued upside to forecasts.
• Despite strong results, insiders have been selling shares — including the CEO's 30,000-share sale — with 68,503 shares sold in the past 90 days, a potential caution for some investors.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.30, FiscalAI reports. MKS had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 20.85%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.71 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. MKS updated its Q2 2026 guidance to 2.600-3.200 EPS.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of MKSI stock traded up $6.12 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $293.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,295,776 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,140,957. The business has a fifty day moving average of $248.13 and a 200-day moving average of $204.44. The stock has a market cap of $19.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.98. MKS has a twelve month low of $71.49 and a twelve month high of $298.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

MKS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $0.25 dividend. This is a boost from MKS's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.77, for a total value of $7,703,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 154,696 shares in the company, valued at $39,721,291.92. This represents a 16.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.44, for a total transaction of $71,832.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 18,663 shares in the company, valued at $4,468,668.72. This represents a 1.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 68,503 shares of company stock valued at $17,288,099. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Hollencrest Capital Management purchased a new position in MKS during the fourth quarter worth approximately $228,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in MKS during the second quarter worth approximately $224,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP purchased a new position in MKS during the second quarter worth approximately $219,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in MKS by 236.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 616 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in MKS by 46.4% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 618 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MKSI. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of MKS from $295.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on shares of MKS from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of MKS from $215.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Mizuho set a $320.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $280.77.

Key Headlines Impacting MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — MKS reported $2.30 EPS vs. a $2.00 consensus and revenue of $1.08B vs. $1.05B consensus, signaling better-than-expected execution and demand. MKS (MKSI) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Raised/strong Q2 guidance — management set Q2 2026 EPS guidance of $2.60–$3.20 (above the ~$2.37 consensus) and revenue guidance around $1.2B (above the ~$1.1B consensus), which supports upside to estimates and analyst revisions. MKS Inc. Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Company metrics and disclosure — the firm reported a net margin of ~7.5% and ROE ~20.9%; the official press release/earnings deck is available for detail review. These help investors model forward cash flow but are not new surprises. View Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings and analyst coverage — recent previews and comparative pieces (e.g., Zacks, American Banking News) provide context for estimates and peer comparisons but did not introduce new material facts. Gear Up for MKS (MKSI) Q1 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling headline — reports note insiders have been selling shares, which can create caution among some investors even as analysts turn more optimistic on earnings potential. Monitor magnitude and context of sales. Why MKS (MKSI) Insiders Are Selling

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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