Equities Analysts Offer Predictions for MKS FY2026 Earnings

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) – Research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of MKS in a research note issued on Tuesday, March 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the scientific and technical instruments company will post earnings per share of $8.76 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $7.16. Zacks Research currently 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 Q4 2026 earnings at $2.42 EPS.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on MKSI. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of MKS from $135.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Citigroup lifted their price target on MKS from $185.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on MKS from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on shares of MKS from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.46.

MKS Stock Down 0.5%

MKS stock opened at $224.25 on Thursday. MKS has a 52 week low of $54.84 and a 52 week high of $269.91. The stock has a market cap of $15.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.32, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.94. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $224.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $168.72. 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 (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its earnings results 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). MKS had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 20.85%. The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.15 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS.

Institutional Trading of MKS

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. Penserra Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of MKS by 43.4% in the 3rd quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 295,963 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $36,631,000 after acquiring an additional 89,502 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in MKS during the third quarter worth approximately $1,020,000. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of MKS by 13.1% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 58,933 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $5,856,000 after purchasing an additional 6,846 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its stake in shares of MKS by 553.5% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 7,371 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $912,000 after buying an additional 6,243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Markets Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 304,831 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $37,729,000 after buying an additional 6,725 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at MKS

In other news, EVP Eric Robert Taranto sold 4,568 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,405,931.40. This trade represents a 22.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 4,254 shares of MKS stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,063,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 53,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,448,500. The trade was a 7.33% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 68,163 shares of company stock worth $17,215,417 over the last quarter. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

MKS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $0.25 dividend. This is a positive change from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. MKS’s payout ratio is presently 22.88%.

Trending Headlines about MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised earnings estimates across multiple quarters and moved to a “Strong‑Buy,” lifting FY2027 and FY2028 forecasts materially (FY2027 to $9.98 and FY2028 to $14.56), implying stronger future growth expectations for MKS. This analyst backing can support upward momentum.
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment has been turning favorable — several firms (Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Cantor Fitzgerald, Morgan Stanley) have raised price targets and reiterated buy/overweight ratings; MarketBeat shows a consensus “Moderate Buy” with an average target ~ $273.46 — positive for investor sentiment.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike: MKS increased the quarterly dividend to $0.25 ($1.00 annualized) from $0.22, keeping payout ratio modest (~23%) and signaling confidence in cash flow. This supports income-oriented demand.
• Positive Sentiment: Large institutional inflows: notable new and expanded stakes from Norges Bank, Southpoint, Frontier Capital, Westfield and Millennium show strong institutional conviction and add stability to the shareholder base.
• Neutral Sentiment: MKS benefited from improving end markets per an investor letter summary (Madison Investments), suggesting demand pickup that could sustain top-line growth. MKS (MKSI) Gained from End Markets Picking Up
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed revenue beat (+10.5% YoY to ~$1.03B) but a slight EPS miss (-$0.04). Management issued Q1 guidance (EPS 1.72–2.28) — mixed near‑term read but evidence of ongoing growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP Eric Taranto sold 4,568 shares (avg ~$220.52) and has trimmed his holdings substantially across February/March, which some investors view as a negative signal. Eric Robert Taranto Sells 4,568 Shares of MKS
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~20% in February to ~3.84M shares (~5.7% of float). Elevated short activity can add volatility and downward pressure on near‑term price action.

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.