MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded MKS from a “buy” to a “strong-buy,” adding to a generally bullish analyst outlook on the stock. Overall, analysts now show a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $317.23.
• Recent earnings topped expectations: MKS reported $2.30 EPS versus the $2.00 estimate and revenue of $1.08 billion versus $1.05 billion expected. Quarterly revenue rose 15.2% year over year, and the company guided Q2 2026 EPS to $2.60-$3.20.
• Several analysts raised price targets this week, including Citigroup to $355, JPMorgan to $365, and Needham to $360, reinforcing positive sentiment around the shares.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on MKSI. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $354.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on MKS from $300.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. KeyCorp raised their price target on MKS from $310.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Mizuho set a $320.00 price target on MKS in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One research 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 issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $317.23.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $313.21 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $21.09 billion, a PE ratio of 65.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.98. MKS has a fifty-two week low of $78.62 and a fifty-two week high of $326.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $249.12 and a 200-day moving average of $205.60.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.00 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.05 billion. MKS had a return on equity of 21.49% and a net margin of 8.06%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.71 earnings per share. MKS has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.600-3.200 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that MKS will post 9.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In other news, EVP Eric Robert Taranto sold 4,568 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.52, for a total value of $1,007,335.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,405,931.40. This represents a 22.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 4,254 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,063,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 53,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,448,500. The trade was a 7.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 68,503 shares of company stock worth $17,288,099. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in shares of MKS in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of MKS by 560.0% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of MKS by 616.7% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 172 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of MKS by 55.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 256 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target on MKS Inc. to $355 from $290 and kept a buy rating, implying more upside from current levels. Citigroup price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan lifted its target to $365 from $305 and maintained an overweight rating, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock. JPMorgan price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Needham increased its target to $360 from $300 and reiterated a buy rating, adding to the list of analysts turning more constructive on MKS. Needham price target raise

MKS Company 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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