MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Gerald Colella Sells 10,000 Shares

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Gerald Colella sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.97, for a total transaction of $2,539,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 40,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,163,117.49. This trade represents a 19.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

MKS Stock Down 0.9%

MKSI opened at $251.41 on Wednesday. MKS Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $269.91. The company has a market cap of $16.89 billion, a PE ratio of 57.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The company has a 50 day moving average of $208.65 and a 200 day moving average of $159.00.

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

MKS Increases Dividend

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

Key Stories Impacting MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism: multiple brokers recently raised targets and reiterated buy/overweight views, supporting upside expectations and a median/consensus target materially above earlier levels. Price Target Raises
• Positive Sentiment: Investor visibility event: CEO John T.C. Lee will speak at Morgan Stanley’s Tech/Media/Telecom conference (March 2) with a webcast available — a chance for management to update investors on demand, margins and roadmap. Conference Participation
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase: MKS raised its quarterly dividend to $0.25/sh (from $0.22), signaling confidence in cashflow and returning more capital to shareholders. Dividend & Stock Data
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results were mixed: revenue grew ~10.5% y/y and beat expectations, but EPS missed the consensus by a small amount; Q1 FY26 EPS guidance was provided (1.720–2.280), leaving room for interpretation on near‑term margins. This is supportive of a solid medium‑term story but may already be priced in. Earnings Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: CEO John T.C. Lee sold 30,000 shares (~$7.7M) and multiple other executives/directors sold additional stakes across Feb. 20–24 (totaling tens of thousands of shares, roughly ~$11M reported). These open‑market dispositions materially reduced some insiders’ holdings and are exerting downward pressure on the stock. SEC Form 4 filings for the CEO are available. CEO Form 4

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKSI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of MKS from $135.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on shares of MKS from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Zacks Research upgraded MKS from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of MKS from $200.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MKS has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.46.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in MKS during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of MKS by 616.7% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 172 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. purchased a new position in shares of MKS during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MKS by 74.5% in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

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.