MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target Raised to $258.00 at Morgan Stanley

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $187.00 to $258.00 in a report issued on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MKS in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen cut MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Benchmark lifted their price objective on MKS from $135.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on MKS from $175.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of MKS from $180.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $227.75.

MKS Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $223.00 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $167.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $135.41. The firm has a market cap of $14.98 billion, a PE ratio of 54.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.92. MKS has a 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $233.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 1.81.

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

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th were issued 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 is presently 21.36%.

Insider Activity at MKS

In other 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 transaction of $47,643.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 18,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,011,514.03. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MKSI. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in MKS in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MKS during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MKS by 74.5% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 260 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of MKS in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new stake in MKS in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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

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.