MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $281.77 and last traded at $278.4910, with a volume of 70860 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $269.89.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of MKS in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Bank of America increased their price target on MKS from $215.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on MKS from $210.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on MKS from $135.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on MKS from $295.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MKS has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.08.

MKS Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $242.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $192.75. The company has a market cap of $18.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.71.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.51 by ($0.04). MKS had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 20.85%. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.15 EPS. MKS’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This is an increase from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. MKS’s dividend payout ratio is 22.88%.

Insider Activity at MKS

In other MKS news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 340 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.77, for a total value of $72,681.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 10,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,221,711.61. This trade represents a 3.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.44, for a total value of $71,832.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,468,668.72. This represents a 1.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 68,503 shares of company stock valued at $17,288,099 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in MKS in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in MKS by 560.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in MKS by 616.7% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 172 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. acquired a new stake in MKS in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in MKS in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.