Citigroup Cuts MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target to $290.00

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target cut by analysts at Citigroup from $295.00 to $290.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Citigroup’s target price indicates a potential upside of 29.33% from the company’s current price.

MKSI has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of MKS from $210.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 price target on shares of MKS in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen lowered MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on MKS from $215.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.08.

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI traded down $12.61 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $224.24. 672,158 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,561,458. MKS has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $269.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.94. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $230.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.23. 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) last announced 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 company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.15 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS. Equities analysts predict that MKS will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at MKS

In other news, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 4,254 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 53,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,448,500. This represents a 7.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.77, for a total transaction of $7,703,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 154,696 shares in the company, valued at $39,721,291.92. This trade represents a 16.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 68,503 shares of company stock valued at $17,288,099. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in shares of MKS in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in MKS by 560.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. acquired a new position in MKS in the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in MKS by 74.5% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 260 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.