Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Outlook for MKS Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has revised its Q2 2026 earnings per share estimate for MKS Inc. down from $1.80 to $1.62, maintaining a "Hold" rating for the stock.
• MKS's most recent earnings report showed $1.77 EPS, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.16, with a revenue of $973 million, indicating a 9.7% increase compared to the prior year.
• The company will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.22 on September 5th, with a current payout ratio of 22.34% and a dividend yield of 0.9%.

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for shares of MKS in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 27th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the scientific and technical instruments company will earn $1.62 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.80. Zacks Research has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for MKS's current full-year earnings is $6.94 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for MKS's Q4 2026 earnings at $1.31 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.51 EPS.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.16. MKS had a net margin of 7.11% and a return on equity of 20.65%. The firm had revenue of $973.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $931.05 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.53 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of MKS from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of MKS from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MKS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 30th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of MKS from $105.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on shares of MKS from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $119.80.

MKS Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of MKS stock traded up $2.77 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $104.49. 810,050 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 875,034. The company has a 50 day moving average of $101.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.56. MKS has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $125.33. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The stock has a market cap of $7.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.94.

MKS Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. MKS's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS

In other MKS news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,159,955. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.85, for a total transaction of $29,955.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 19,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,923,410.55. This represents a 1.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,600 shares of company stock valued at $267,585 in the last three months. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of MKS during the first quarter worth approximately $789,000. Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its holdings in shares of MKS by 2.2% during the first quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 251,799 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $20,182,000 after purchasing an additional 5,422 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in shares of MKS by 15.5% during the first quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 18,884 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,513,000 after purchasing an additional 2,530 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of MKS by 16.2% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 110,765 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $8,878,000 after purchasing an additional 15,482 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS by 33.7% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 11,973 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $960,000 after purchasing an additional 3,021 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MKS Company Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc provides foundational technology solutions to semiconductor manufacturing, electronics and packaging, and specialty industrial applications in the United States, Germany, China, South Korea, and internationally. It operates through Vacuum Solutions Division (VSD), Photonics Solutions Division (PSD), and Material Solutions Division (MSD) segments.