Zacks Research Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for MKS

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of MKS in a research note issued on Tuesday, March 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the scientific and technical instruments company will earn $1.88 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.63. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for MKS’s current full-year earnings is $6.94 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for MKS’s Q2 2026 earnings at $2.09 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.38 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.30 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.40 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.85 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.43 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $9.98 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $14.56 EPS.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. 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 net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 20.85%. The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.15 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of MKS from $200.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of MKS from $200.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of MKS from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.46.

MKS Trading Up 3.2%

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $225.28 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 2.71. The company has a market cap of $15.15 billion, a PE ratio of 51.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.94. MKS has a fifty-two week low of $54.84 and a fifty-two week high of $269.91. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $223.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $168.33.

MKS Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This is an increase from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. MKS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 4,254 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,063,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 53,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,448,500. This represents a 7.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.44, for a total value of $71,832.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,468,668.72. This trade represents a 1.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 68,163 shares of company stock worth $17,215,417 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in MKS by 4.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,752,097 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $959,477,000 after purchasing an additional 295,480 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its holdings in MKS by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,321,877 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $163,609,000 after buying an additional 94,692 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in MKS by 30.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,265,365 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $156,602,000 after acquiring an additional 297,850 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in MKS by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,258,108 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $125,025,000 after acquiring an additional 35,065 shares during the period. Finally, Channing Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS by 79.3% during the second quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 991,298 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $98,495,000 after acquiring an additional 438,338 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research sharply raised near- and medium-term EPS forecasts (multiple quarters and FY2027/FY2028), upgraded the stock to “Strong-Buy” and now models substantially higher earnings growth through 2028 — a clear bullish signal for growth expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Several brokerages have lifted price targets and reiterated buy/overweight ratings (Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Cantor Fitzgerald, Morgan Stanley), supporting upside to consensus valuation; MarketBeat notes a consensus “Moderate Buy” and an average target near $273.46.
• Positive Sentiment: MKS recently raised its quarterly dividend (to $0.25), a signal of cash-flow confidence that can support shareholder returns and attract income-sensitive buyers.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership and big inflows were reported (Norges Bank, Southpoint, Frontier, Westfield, Millennium increases). High institutional ownership (reported ~99.8%) can amplify moves but also reduce free float — neutral-to-bullish depending on flows.
• Neutral Sentiment: Latest quarterly results showed revenue growth and a slight EPS miss vs. consensus; management provided Q1 guidance. These mixed fundamentals leave near-term reaction dependent on forward commentary and execution.
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~20% in February to ~3.84M shares (≈5.7% of float). Higher shorting can create downside pressure but also raises potential for short-covering volatility.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP Eric Taranto sold 4,568 shares (~$1.0M) in early March, reducing his stake ~22.8%. Insider selling is often viewed cautiously by investors. Insider Trade Report

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.