Bank of America Issues Positive Forecast for MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target lifted by Bank of America from $215.00 to $255.00 in a research report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Benchmark lifted their target price on MKS from $135.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of MKS from $92.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $175.00 price objective on shares of MKS and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of MKS from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of MKS from $122.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $227.75.

MKS Trading Up 1.0%

MKSI opened at $223.00 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. MKS has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $233.11. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $167.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.41.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $988.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $963.87 million. MKS had a return on equity of 20.80% and a net margin of 7.25%.The company’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.72 EPS. MKS has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.930-2.610 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that MKS will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. MKS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.36%.

Insider Activity at MKS

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.81, for a total transaction of $47,643.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 18,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,011,514.03. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of MKS in the second quarter valued at approximately $85,391,000. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. boosted its stake in MKS by 843.4% in the 2nd quarter. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. now owns 690,287 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $68,587,000 after purchasing an additional 617,113 shares during the period. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC grew its holdings in MKS by 146.4% in the 2nd quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 912,380 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $90,654,000 after buying an additional 542,094 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in MKS by 9,165.9% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 446,248 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $55,232,000 after buying an additional 441,432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Channing Capital Management LLC increased its position in MKS by 79.3% during the 2nd quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 991,298 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $98,495,000 after buying an additional 438,338 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages boosted ratings and price targets (buy/overweight calls and higher targets), increasing investor demand — notable raises include Cantor Fitzgerald to $300, Needham to $260, Morgan Stanley to $258, Bank of America to $255 and TD Cowen to $230. These upgrades are the primary catalyst for buying interest today. Cantor Fitzgerald Boosts MKS Price Target Needham raise Additional coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Shares reached new highs intraday / 52‑week/all‑time highs following the analyst activity and optimism around upcoming results — momentum itself can attract more buyers and short‑covering. Investing.com all‑time high 52‑week high after upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: MKS updated Q4 guidance: revenue guidance came in above consensus (roughly ~$1.0B vs. ~$994M est.), while EPS guidance was effectively in line or marginally below consensus — mixed fundamentals that support revenue momentum but leave EPS visibility somewhat uncertain. Seeking Alpha: guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: MKS plans meetings with existing and prospective lenders about a comprehensive capital‑structure refinancing — could reduce financing costs or extend maturities (positive long term) but also signals elevated leverage attention in the near term. TipRanks: refinancing
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $210 but kept an “equal weight” rating, implying limited upside from current levels and offering a more cautious stance than other brokers — this could cap some of the rally if investors favor that view. TickerReport / Wells Fargo Benzinga note

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.