MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) EVP Eric Robert Taranto Sells 1,453 Shares of Stock

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) EVP Eric Robert Taranto sold 1,453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.55, for a total transaction of $359,690.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,013 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,954,218.15. The trade was a 6.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

MKS Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $253.71 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. MKS Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $269.91. The stock has a market cap of $17.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $206.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $157.93.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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% on a year-over-year basis. 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, research analysts expect that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. This is a positive change from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. MKS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.14%.

Trending Headlines about MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple Wall Street firms recently raised price targets on MKSI, signaling continued analyst optimism about the company’s growth prospects; examples of recent target increases include $300 and $305 actions. Price Target Raised to $300.00 Price Target Raised to $305.00
• Positive Sentiment: MKS announced that President & CEO John T.C. Lee will participate in a fireside chat at Morgan Stanley’s Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on March 2 (webcast available) — a visibility event that can provide fresh management commentary on demand, margins and roadmap. Company Conference Participation
• Neutral Sentiment: The Street remains broadly constructive on MKSI (multiple buy/overweight ratings and a recent median price target near $255), which supports a positive medium-term view but may already be reflected in the stock’s run-up. Analyst Coverage Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling was disclosed on Feb. 20: CEO John T.C. Lee sold 30,000 shares (~$7.7M) and several other executives/directors sold additional stakes (total ~43,295 shares for roughly $11.1M). These sales materially reduced some insiders’ ownership (CEO down ~16.2%; others down as much as ~36%), which is putting downward pressure on the share price. SEC Form 4 filings are available for review. CEO Form 4

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKSI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on MKS from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of MKS from $200.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Mizuho set a $320.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of MKS from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.46.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MKSI. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of MKS during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in MKS by 560.0% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of MKS by 616.7% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. purchased a new position in shares of MKS during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. 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.