MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target Raised to $325.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price target hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $300.00 to $325.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Mizuho set a $360.00 target price on MKS in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on MKS from $360.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “sell” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $385.00.

MKS Trading Up 4.7%

Shares of MKS stock opened at $304.99 on Friday. MKS has a 1 year low of $97.30 and a 1 year high of $447.62. The firm has a market cap of $20.60 billion, a PE ratio of 48.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $347.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $289.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $1.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. MKS had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 28.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.77 EPS. MKS has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.890 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that MKS will post 11.81 EPS for the current year.

MKS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be given 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 is Tuesday, August 25th. MKS’s payout ratio is 15.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS

In other news, Director Gerald G. Colella sold 20,000 shares of MKS stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.40, for a total transaction of $6,668,000.00. Following the completion of 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. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ramakumar Mayampurath sold 8,810 shares of MKS stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.48, for a total transaction of $2,779,378.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 1 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $315.48. The trade was a 99.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 54,406 shares of company stock valued at $17,577,866 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new position in MKS during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in MKS by 47.5% during the 2nd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new position in MKS in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in MKS by 560.0% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

More MKS News

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raise price targets: Citigroup lifted its target from $425 to $430 and initiated a Buy rating; JPMorgan raised its target from $365 to $380 and maintained an Overweight rating. Needham also increased its target to $390 from $360 and retained a Buy rating. Citigroup analyst action JPMorgan analyst action Needham analyst action
• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings beat expectations: MKS reported adjusted earnings of $3.30 per share, above the approximately $2.94 consensus estimate and up from $1.77 a year earlier. Revenue reached $1.25 billion, exceeding forecasts of roughly $1.20 billion and rising 28.3% year over year. Management’s third-quarter guidance also supports an upbeat near-term view. MKS Q2 earnings beat estimates
• Positive Sentiment: AI demand improves visibility: MKS is ramping semiconductor and advanced-packaging capacity to meet AI-related demand, potentially supporting growth visibility into 2027 and strengthening the long-term investment case. MKSI Q2 earnings call highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerages collectively assign MKS a “Moderate Buy” recommendation, while Wells Fargo raised its target from $300 to $325 but retained an Equal Weight rating, indicating a more measured view. MKS consensus recommendation Wells Fargo analyst action
• Negative Sentiment: The AI-related capacity expansion is creating near-term margin pressure, a risk that could limit immediate earnings leverage even as demand prospects improve.

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.