MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Needham & Company LLC Analyst Says

06 Aug 2026, 18:48 by Kim Johansen · The Markets Daily

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by investment analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $360.00 to $390.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price target points to a potential upside of 31.54% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on MKSI. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on MKS from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on MKS from $305.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $360.00 target price on shares of MKS in a research report on Friday, July 31st. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of MKS from $360.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of MKS from $355.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. One 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.71.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on MKS

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded down $16.61 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $296.49. 1,827,527 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,404,205. The firm has a market cap of $20.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. MKS has a 1-year low of $95.54 and a 1-year high of $447.62. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $348.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $288.38.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. MKS had a net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 21.49%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.77 earnings per share. MKS has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.890 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that MKS will post 11.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.48, for a total value of $3,154,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 144,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,648,694.08. This represents a 6.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Gerald G. Colella sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.40, for a total value of $6,668,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 20,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,673,667.80. This trade represents a 49.98% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 54,406 shares of company stock worth $17,577,866. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of MKS by 560.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in MKS by 616.7% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 172 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MKS during the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of MKS in the third quarter valued at $37,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting 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

(Get Free Report)

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.