MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?
by Scott Moore · The Cerbat GemMKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Free Report)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $296.22 and last traded at $293.3340, with a volume of 2341 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $291.53.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research analysts have commented on MKSI shares. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 price target on shares of MKS in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of MKS from $215.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of MKS from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of MKS from $300.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of MKS from $295.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 20th. One 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 given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.77.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on MKS
MKS Stock Performance
The company has a market cap of $19.40 billion, a PE ratio of 65.96, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.98. The business’s 50-day moving average is $246.76 and its 200 day moving average is $202.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 2.71.
MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.51 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. MKS had a return on equity of 20.85% and a net margin of 7.53%.MKS’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.15 EPS. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 9.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.
MKS Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This is a positive change from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. MKS’s payout ratio is presently 22.88%.
Insider Activity
In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.44, for a total transaction of $71,832.00. Following the sale, the director owned 18,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,468,668.72. The trade was a 1.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Eric Robert Taranto sold 4,568 shares of MKS stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.52, for a total transaction of $1,007,335.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,445 shares in the company, valued at $3,405,931.40. The trade was a 22.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 68,503 shares of company stock worth $17,288,099. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS
Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in MKS during the 4th quarter valued at about $147,453,000. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP purchased a new position in MKS during the 4th quarter valued at about $95,880,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its position in MKS by 159.7% during the 4th quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 839,773 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $134,196,000 after acquiring an additional 516,409 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in MKS by 9,165.9% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 446,248 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $55,232,000 after acquiring an additional 441,432 shares during the period. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its position in MKS by 63.4% during the 2nd 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 acquiring an additional 340,645 shares during the period. 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.