Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its target price upped by Citigroup from $290.00 to $355.00 in a report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on MKSI. Zacks Research raised shares of MKS from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of MKS from $300.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of MKS from $255.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Mizuho set a $320.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $317.23.

MKS Stock Performance

MKS stock opened at $313.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $249.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $205.60. MKS has a 52-week low of $78.62 and a 52-week high of $326.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.98.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.00 by $0.30. MKS had a return on equity of 21.49% and a net margin of 8.06%.The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.71 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. MKS has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.600-3.200 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that MKS will post 9.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This is a positive change from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. MKS’s dividend payout ratio is 22.88%.

Insider Transactions at MKS

In related news, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 30,000 shares of MKS stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.77, for a total value of $7,703,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of MKS stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.44, for a total value of $71,832.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 68,503 shares of company stock valued at $17,288,099. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Penserra Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in MKS by 43.4% during the 3rd quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 295,963 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $36,631,000 after purchasing an additional 89,502 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in MKS during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,020,000. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC bought a new position in MKS during the 4th quarter worth about $3,618,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its stake in shares of MKS by 553.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 7,371 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $912,000 after acquiring an additional 6,243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Markets Americas LLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 6,725 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target on MKS Inc. to $355 from $290 and kept a buy rating, implying more upside from current levels. Citigroup price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan lifted its target to $365 from $305 and maintained an overweight rating, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock. JPMorgan price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Needham increased its target to $360 from $300 and reiterated a buy rating, adding to the list of analysts turning more constructive on MKS. Needham price target raise

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.