Insider Selling: MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Sells $205,218.95 in Stock

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Jacqueline Moloney sold 829 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.55, for a total transaction of $205,218.95. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 10,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,656,954.15. This trade represents a 7.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

MKS Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $255.91 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.71. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $210.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $159.68. MKS Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.84 and a 1 year high of $269.91.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.51 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. MKS had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 20.85%. The company’s revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.15 earnings per share. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

MKS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a boost from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. MKS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.88%.

MKS News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Brokerages have pushed price targets higher and reiterated buy/overweight views, which supports upside expectations for MKSI. Price Target Raises
• Positive Sentiment: MKS increased its quarterly dividend to $0.25 (from $0.22), signaling confidence in cash flow and returning more capital to shareholders. Dividend & Stock Data
• Positive Sentiment: CEO John T.C. Lee will speak at Morgan Stanley’s Technology/Media/Telecom conference (March 2) — a visibility event that could provide fresh color on demand, margins and the roadmap. Conference Participation
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 was mixed: revenue grew ~10.5% and slightly beat consensus, but EPS missed by ~$0.04 and Q1 EPS guidance (1.720–2.280) leaves room for interpretation on near?term margins. This supports the growth story but may already be priced in. Earnings Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling reported Feb. 20–24: CEO and several executives/directors sold tens of thousands of shares (CEO sales alone roughly $7–8M), reducing some officers’ holdings materially — a near?term negative that can pressure sentiment. CEO Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Director Gerald G. Colella sold 10,000 shares (~$2.5M–$2.54M across filings), part of the broader wave of open?market disposals that traders are watching. Colella Sale

Institutional Trading of MKS

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MKSI. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in MKS in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in MKS by 560.0% in 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 boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 148 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MKS during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of MKS by 74.5% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 260 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on MKSI shares. Mizuho set a $320.00 target price on shares of MKS in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of MKS from $200.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Finally, Benchmark boosted their target price on MKS from $135.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $273.46.

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.