Zacks Research Expects Higher Earnings for MKS Instruments

MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for MKS Instruments in a research note issued on Tuesday, March 4th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the scientific and technical instruments company will post earnings per share of $2.10 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.08. The consensus estimate for MKS Instruments’ current full-year earnings is $6.94 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for MKS Instruments’ Q2 2026 earnings at $2.26 EPS and Q3 2026 earnings at $2.53 EPS.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.23. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on MKSI. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup raised MKS Instruments from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Benchmark decreased their price target on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of MKS Instruments in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS Instruments presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.08.

MKS Instruments Stock Down 4.1 %

MKS Instruments stock opened at $82.52 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $107.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $108.92. The company has a market cap of $5.56 billion, a PE ratio of 29.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.04. MKS Instruments has a 1-year low of $82.08 and a 1-year high of $147.40.

MKS Instruments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. MKS Instruments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Jacqueline F. Moloney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.80, for a total transaction of $34,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 9,983 shares in the company, valued at $1,146,048.40. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,575 shares of company stock worth $896,107. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS Instruments

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in MKS Instruments by 68.6% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 263 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of MKS Instruments in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in MKS Instruments during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 433 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 424.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 414 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Instruments Company Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc provides foundational technology solutions to semiconductor manufacturing, electronics and packaging, and specialty industrial applications in the United States, Germany, China, South Korea, and internationally. It operates through Vacuum Solutions Division (VSD), Photonics Solutions Division (PSD), and Material Solutions Division (MSD) segments.