MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by stock analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $360.00 to $390.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Needham & Company LLC’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 31.54% from the company’s current price.
MKSI has been the topic of several other reports. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Bank of America increased their price target on MKS from $380.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $600.00 target price on shares of MKS in a research note on Monday. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of MKS from $360.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.71.
Check Out Our Latest Report on MKS
MKS Trading Down 5.3%
MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.39. MKS had a return on equity of 21.49% and a net margin of 8.06%.The company had revenue of $1.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.77 EPS. MKS’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.3% on a year-over-year basis. MKS has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.890 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that MKS will post 11.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Buying and Selling at MKS
In related news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,500 shares of MKS stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.50, for a total transaction of $826,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,341 shares in the company, valued at $5,400,700.50. This trade represents a 13.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Joseph B. Donahue sold 2,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.95, for a total transaction of $688,695.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 10,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,290,322.35. This trade represents a 17.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 54,406 shares of company stock worth $17,577,866. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Institutional Trading of MKS
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,254,049 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $200,438,000 after acquiring an additional 5,551 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in MKS by 44.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 982,643 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $97,635,000 after purchasing an additional 301,223 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in MKS in the fourth quarter valued at $147,453,000. Rafferty Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MKS by 63.4% in the second quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 878,114 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $87,249,000 after buying an additional 340,645 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MKS by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 870,654 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $139,131,000 after buying an additional 24,349 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.
Trending Headlines about MKS
Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter results exceeded expectations. MKS reported adjusted EPS of $3.30, above the $2.91–$2.94 consensus range, while revenue reached $1.25 billion versus approximately $1.20 billion expected. Revenue grew 28.3% year over year, and operating profit, net income and cash from operations also strengthened. MKS Surpasses Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
- Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter guidance was above analyst expectations. MKS forecast adjusted EPS of $3.27–$3.89 and revenue of $1.3–$1.4 billion, compared with consensus estimates of $3.17 EPS and $1.2 billion in revenue. The outlook indicates continued demand for the company’s semiconductor and advanced industrial equipment offerings. MKS Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “Overweight” rating with a $600 target, while the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy,” with a reported average target near $383.57. MKS Earns Overweight Rating from Cantor Fitzgerald
- Neutral Sentiment: MKS declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, payable September 3 to shareholders of record August 25. The approximately 0.3% yield is supportive but unlikely to materially affect the stock.
- Negative Sentiment: Extensive insider selling may be weighing on sentiment. QuiverQuant reported 40 insider sales and no purchases during the past six months, including sales by senior executives. Some transactions were conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, reducing their significance, but the lack of insider buying is still a cautionary signal. MKS Releases Q2 2026 Earnings
- Negative Sentiment: Valuation and profit-taking remain risks. With a price-to-earnings ratio above 60 and a beta near 2, MKSI is vulnerable to selling when expectations are elevated. The decline after an earnings beat indicates the results and guidance may already have been reflected in the share price.
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.
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