MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) EVP Sells $131,757.67 in Stock

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) EVP John Edward Williams sold 457 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.31, for a total value of $131,757.67. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,181,494.38. This trade represents a 10.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $291.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.11. MKS Inc. has a one year low of $95.54 and a one year high of $447.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.46, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.98. The company’s fifty day moving average is $348.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $289.00.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. MKS had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 25.35%. The business’s revenue was up 28.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.77 EPS. MKS has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.890 EPS. Analysts forecast that MKS Inc. will post 11.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. MKS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “sell” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $360.00 price objective on MKS in a report on Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on MKS from $374.00 to $442.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on MKS from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $381.79.

Key Stories Impacting MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter results exceeded expectations: MKS reported earnings of $3.30 per share versus the $2.91 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 28.3% year over year to $1.25 billion, ahead of the $1.20 billion forecast. Stronger demand across end markets and improved margins supported the performance. MKSI Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Increase Year Over Year
• Positive Sentiment: Management issued above-consensus third-quarter guidance: EPS is projected at $3.27-$3.89, compared with the $3.17 analyst estimate, and revenue is expected at approximately $1.3-$1.4 billion versus the $1.2 billion consensus. MKS Inc. Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target to $390 from $360 and assigned a Buy rating, signaling confidence in further upside. Benzinga analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: MKS maintained its quarterly dividend at $0.25 per share, equivalent to a $1.00 annualized payout and an approximately 0.3% yield. The dividend provides limited support for a growth-focused stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking and valuation concerns may be offsetting the strong fundamentals: MKS trades well below several analyst targets but at a relatively demanding earnings multiple, leaving the shares vulnerable to selling after the results.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider activity is a potential confidence signal: Quiver reported 40 insider sales and no purchases during the past six months, although several transactions were conducted under pre-arranged trading plans.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MKSI. Dorsey Wright & Associates purchased a new stake in shares of MKS in the first quarter valued at $1,329,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in MKS by 3,011.9% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 19,294 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $4,434,000 after purchasing an additional 18,674 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its stake in MKS by 7.8% in the 1st quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 123,288 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $28,333,000 after purchasing an additional 8,904 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in MKS in the 1st quarter valued at about $23,809,000. Finally, Anson Funds Management LP purchased a new position in MKS in the 1st quarter valued at about $3,792,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.