MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $262.94, but opened at $243.38. MKS shares last traded at $248.6860, with a volume of 1,370,281 shares.

The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.51 by ($0.04). MKS had a return on equity of 20.85% and a net margin of 7.53%.The company had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.15 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS.

MKS Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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 dividend yield of 0.4%. MKS’s payout ratio is 21.36%.

MKS News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish analyst upgrades lifted upside targets — Needham raised its target to $300 and kept a Buy rating, and JPMorgan raised its target to $305 with an Overweight call, supporting further upside expectations. Needham / The Fly JPMorgan / Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Company momentum: MKS set a new 52‑week high after the earnings release, indicating continued investor interest in the growth story despite the pullback. AmericanBankingNews
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts made modest target lifts with neutral stances — Wells Fargo raised its target to $255 and assigned Equal Weight, reflecting mixed upside vs. valuation. Wells Fargo / Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors and analysts are parsing the Q4 earnings call and presentation for detail on margins, tariffs and demand; transcripts and slides are available for deeper review. Earnings Call Transcript Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman raised its target to $200 but maintained a Sell rating, implying notable downside vs. the current price and adding selling pressure from cautious institutional views. Goldman / Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 showed revenue growth but a slight EPS miss (non‑GAAP EPS $2.47 vs. $2.51 est.), margin pressure and weaker cash flow — factors cited by outlets as triggers for the pullback. Zacks
• Negative Sentiment: Management highlighted tariff‑related uncertainty in the Q1 outlook, which could pressure gross margins; that caveat, combined with recent record highs, prompted some profit‑taking and short‑term selling. Quiver Quantitative
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling and mixed institutional flows were flagged in data summaries, which can weigh on sentiment in the near term. Quiver / Institutional Data

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MKSI. Mizuho set a $320.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen increased their price target on MKS from $200.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on MKS from $185.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on MKS from $210.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on MKS from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.46.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.81, for a total value of $47,643.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS by 2,170.2% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 133,036 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $21,259,000 after acquiring an additional 127,176 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its holdings in MKS by 48.0% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 10,968 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,753,000 after buying an additional 3,555 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in MKS during the 4th quarter valued at about $701,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of MKS during the fourth quarter valued at about $674,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MKS in the fourth quarter worth about $425,000. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Price Performance

The business’s 50-day moving average price is $202.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.77. The company has a market capitalization of $16.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

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.