MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Sets New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• 52-week high: MKS shares hit a new 52-week high of $292.40, trading above the consensus price target of $280.77 while analysts mostly rate the stock a "Moderate Buy" and several firms have raised targets (e.g., Mizuho $320, JPMorgan $305).
• Earnings snapshot: Quarterly EPS came in at $2.47 (slightly below the $2.51 estimate) while revenue beat at $1.03 billion (+10.5% YoY); the company set Q1 2026 guidance of $1.72–$2.28 EPS and analysts expect ~9.85 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Capital actions and ownership: MKS boosted its quarterly dividend to $0.25 ($1.00 annualized, 0.3% yield) and carries a high valuation (P/E 65.46), while insiders sold about 68,503 shares (~$17.3M) in the past three months amid ~99.8% institutional ownership.

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $290.00 and last traded at $292.40, with a volume of 2031 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $280.56.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho set a $320.00 price target on shares of MKS in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of MKS from $200.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of MKS from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of MKS from $295.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of MKS from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $280.77.

MKS Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 2.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.90. The company has a 50-day moving average of $244.92 and a 200-day moving average of $196.32.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.51 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. MKS had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 20.85%. The company's revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.15 earnings per share. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that MKS Inc. will post 9.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MKS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued 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 yield of 0.3%. MKS's payout ratio is presently 22.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gerald G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 of the company's stock, valued at $10,163,117.49. The trade was a 19.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Eric Robert Taranto sold 4,568 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.52, for a total transaction of $1,007,335.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,445 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,405,931.40. This represents a 22.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 68,503 shares of company stock worth $17,288,099 in the last three months. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in shares of MKS during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in MKS by 560.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in MKS by 616.7% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 172 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. purchased a new stake in MKS during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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