MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) released its earnings results on Tuesday. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.22, Zacks reports. MKS had a net margin of 7.25% and a return on equity of 20.80%. MKS updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 1.720-2.280 EPS.

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI traded up $2.20 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $262.94. 3,494,198 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,651,667. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 2.86. MKS has a 1-year low of $54.84 and a 1-year high of $269.91. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $197.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $152.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.66 billion, a PE ratio of 63.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.95.

MKS Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. MKS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MKSI. Citigroup boosted their price objective on MKS from $122.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on MKS from $175.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of MKS from $200.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of MKS from $210.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MKS news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.81, for a total value of $47,643.00. Following the sale, the director owned 18,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,011,514.03. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.