MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Reaches New 12-Month High on Earnings Beat

Shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $267.78 and last traded at $267.6750, with a volume of 1647640 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $260.74.

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). The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. MKS had a return on equity of 20.80% and a net margin of 7.25%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.15 earnings per share. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS.

MKS Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. MKS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.36%.

Key MKS News

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue and EPS expanded year-over-year — revenue of ~$1.03B (+~10.5% YoY) and reported EPS improved versus the prior year, showing underlying demand/price leverage. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Management completed debt refinancing and raised the dividend, which reshapes the company’s debt profile and returns more capital to shareholders — a structural positive for yield‑seeking and income investors. MKS Refinancing Article
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street support remains strong — multiple recent buy/overweight ratings and above‑median price targets provide analyst backing that can support the stock going forward. Analyst Coverage/Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Company issued Q1 FY2026 guidance (EPS $1.72–2.28; revenue $1.0B–1.1B). The range overlaps consensus but the midpoint is slightly below some estimates — guidance provides a roadmap but is conservative enough to leave room for analyst revisions. Guidance & Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Share price momentum: stock has been trading near highs/all‑time levels ahead of and after the release, reflecting strong sentiment but also higher expectations that increase sensitivity to misses. All‑Time High Article
• Negative Sentiment: Certain consensus measures were missed — some outlets/consensus figures showed EPS and/or revenue slightly below expectations (different data sources report small variances), which pressured the stock in after‑hours trading for a time. That divergence between reported figures and certain sell‑side models drove short‑term volatility. Earnings Miss Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Cash‑flow and balance‑sheet items showed weaknesses: operating cash flow declined year‑over‑year and cash balances were slightly lower; coupled with recent insider selling disclosed in filings, these items can concern some investors focused on cash conversion and insider alignment. Cash Flow & Insider Activity

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKSI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of MKS from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of MKS from $200.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of MKS from $215.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of MKS from $187.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on MKS from $200.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.50.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.81, for a total transaction of $47,643.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 18,963 shares in the company, valued at $3,011,514.03. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Covestor Ltd grew its position in MKS by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 390 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MKS by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 530 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 4,335 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $693,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in MKS by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 898 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $144,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC lifted its holdings in MKS by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 15,028 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,401,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company has a market capitalization of $17.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.95. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $199.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.44.

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.