MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target Raised to $430.00 at Citigroup

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price objective boosted by stock analysts at Citigroup from $425.00 to $430.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Citigroup’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 40.99% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of MKS from $374.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Bank of America lifted their price target on MKS from $380.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $385.00.

MKS Stock Performance

NASDAQ MKSI traded up $13.68 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $304.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,224,043 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,410,718. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $348.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $289.00. MKS has a 52 week low of $97.30 and a 52 week high of $447.62. The stock has a market cap of $20.60 billion, a PE ratio of 48.64, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.98.

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

Insider Activity at MKS

In other news, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 4,355 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $319.94, for a total value of $1,393,338.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 49,439 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,817,513.66. The trade was a 8.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gerald G. Colella sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.40, for a total value of $6,668,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,673,667.80. This represents a 49.98% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 54,406 shares of company stock worth $17,577,866 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MKS

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of MKS by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,254,049 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $200,438,000 after acquiring an additional 5,551 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of MKS by 44.2% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 982,643 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $97,635,000 after purchasing an additional 301,223 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of MKS during the fourth quarter valued at $147,453,000. Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MKS by 63.4% during the second quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 878,114 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $87,249,000 after purchasing an additional 340,645 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of MKS by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 870,654 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $139,131,000 after purchasing an additional 24,349 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations. MKS reported second-quarter revenue of approximately $1.25 billion, up 28.3% year over year and above the $1.20 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS was $3.30, topping expectations near $2.91-$2.94 and rising sharply from $1.77 a year earlier. MKSI Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Increase Year Over Year
• Positive Sentiment: Management issued upbeat third-quarter guidance. MKS forecast EPS of $3.27-$3.89 and revenue of $1.3-$1.4 billion, both above Wall Street’s prior expectations. The outlook reflects broad end-market growth and stronger operating leverage. MKS Surpasses Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: AI demand is improving future visibility. MKS is ramping semiconductor and advanced-packaging capacity to meet AI-driven demand, with management citing better visibility into 2027. MKSI Q2 Earnings Call Highlights AI-Driven Capacity Ramp
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised valuation targets. JPMorgan increased its target to $380 and maintained an Overweight rating; Wells Fargo raised its target to $325 while keeping an Equal Weight rating. Needham previously raised its target to $390 and maintained a Buy rating. Brokerages’ overall recommendation is Moderate Buy.
• Neutral Sentiment: Near-term profitability remains a consideration. The capacity expansion supporting AI growth is creating some margin pressure, which could limit upside if execution or demand weakens.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling is a cautionary signal. Reported insider activity over the past six months showed 40 sales and no purchases, including sales by senior executives. This does not necessarily indicate deteriorating fundamentals but may temper investor enthusiasm.

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.