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

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

MKSI has been the topic of several other research reports. Benchmark upped their price objective on MKS from $135.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen cut MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd. 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 note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on MKS from $92.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Mizuho set a $215.00 target price on shares of MKS in a research report on Friday, January 9th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $227.75.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MKSI opened at $217.06 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.92. The company’s 50-day moving average is $169.36 and its 200 day moving average is $136.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 2.86. MKS has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $233.11.

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

MKS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were given 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 payout ratio is 21.36%.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of MKS 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 sale, the director owned 18,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of MKS by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 267,421 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $21,434,000 after acquiring an additional 9,170 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of MKS by 63.9% in the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 952 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of MKS in the second quarter worth approximately $991,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in MKS by 55.8% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 975 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in MKS by 112.7% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,529 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several brokerages raised price targets, signaling stronger analyst conviction — TD Cowen bumped its target to $230. MKS Inc. price target raised to $230 from $200 at TD Cowen
• Positive Sentiment: Large upward revisions from other firms increased bullish interest (Needham to $260, Bank of America to $255, Morgan Stanley to $258, Cantor Fitzgerald to $300), suggesting analysts see meaningful upside vs. earlier levels. Analyst price target coverage (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: MKS raised its Q4 guidance ahead of earnings (Needham also raised its target after the guidance update), which supports expectations for continued revenue/EPS strength. MKS increases Q4 guidance ahead of earnings; Needham hikes price target
• Positive Sentiment: Equity research pieces highlight MKS’s momentum and strong earnings-surprise track record, which can support further upside if the company sustains beat-and-raise results. Will MKS (MKSI) Beat Estimates Again?
• Neutral Sentiment: Not all upgrades are uniformly bullish: Wells Fargo raised its target to $210 but kept an “equal weight” rating, implying limited near-term upside from its view. Wells Fargo price target note
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target dispersion and a premium valuation (market commentary points to a high P/E) create short-term volatility; despite bullish reports, these mixed signals likely contributed to profit-taking and the intraday pullback.

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.