MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Reaches New 12-Month High - Here's Why

Key Points

• MKS hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $421.58 after closing previously at $406.37, reflecting strong recent momentum in the stock.
• Recent earnings were solid: MKS reported $2.30 EPS versus the $2.00 estimate and revenue of $1.08 billion, up 15.2% year over year, while guiding Q2 2026 EPS at 2.600-3.200.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus rating and average target price of $324.92.

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $421.58 and last traded at $420.56, with a volume of 1542021 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $406.37.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of MKS from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on MKS from $300.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on MKS from $354.00 to $374.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on MKS from $310.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $324.92.

MKS Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $28.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 87.98, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.99. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $313.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $247.68.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. MKS had a net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 21.49%. 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 prior year, the business posted $1.71 earnings per share. MKS's revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. MKS has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.600-3.200 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that MKS Inc. will post 11.73 EPS for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 3rd were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 3rd. MKS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS

In other MKS news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $330.50, for a total value of $826,250.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,341 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,400,700.50. This represents a 13.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Gerald G. Colella sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.40, for a total value of $6,668,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 20,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,673,667.80. This trade represents a 49.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 53,949 shares of company stock valued at $17,446,108 over the last quarter. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MKSI. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in MKS by 3.6% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 267,421 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $21,434,000 after purchasing an additional 9,170 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in MKS by 63.4% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 838 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in MKS by 3,545.6% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 141,267 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $14,036,000 after buying an additional 137,392 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new position in MKS during the second quarter worth about $1,676,000. Finally, AXA S.A. grew its stake in MKS by 22.8% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 29,253 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,907,000 after acquiring an additional 5,430 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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