MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Shares of MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $262.94, but opened at $243.38. MKS shares last traded at $248.6860, with a volume of 1,370,281 shares changing hands.

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 7.25% and a return on equity of 20.80%. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.15 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS.

MKS Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. This is a boost from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. MKS’s payout ratio is currently 21.36%.

Trending Headlines about MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Refinancing and dividend raise improve the capital structure and return profile, which supports long-term shareholder value. MKS Refinancing Reshapes Debt Profile While Raising Dividend For Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying business still grew: Q4 revenue (~$1.03B) and EPS showed year-over-year improvement, and multiple brokers maintain buy/overweight ratings and above-current price targets — supportive for medium-term demand expectations. MKS Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance is mixed: Q1 EPS range (roughly $1.72–$2.28) and revenue range are wide and incorporate tariff assumptions — the midpoint may be roughly in line with some estimates but the uncertainty widens the forecast band. MKS Earnings Release & Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Small EPS miss vs. consensus (reported non-GAAP EPS $2.47 vs. ~$2.51 expected) and a slight revenue shortfall versus some estimates prompted downside reaction despite YoY profit growth. MKS (MKSI) Misses Q4 Earnings Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Company flagged tariff-related uncertainty and potential retaliatory actions in its outlook; management expects gross-margin pressure risk, which can compress near-term profits. MKS Inc. shares slide as investors digest Q4 results, tariff caveats, and a post-high pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Operational cash flow declined year-over-year and multiple insider sales (no recent insider buys) plus large institutional rebalancings increase selling pressure around an already elevated valuation. MKS Instruments (MKSI) Stock Falls on Q4 2025 Earnings

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MKSI shares. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of MKS from $180.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on MKS from $175.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on MKS from $200.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Zacks Research upgraded MKS from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on MKS from $200.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $231.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.81, for a total transaction of $47,643.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 18,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,011,514.03. The trade was a 1.56% 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 this link. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Inspire Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS by 197.4% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 10,946 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,749,000 after acquiring an additional 7,265 shares during the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MKS by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 225,215 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $35,989,000 after acquiring an additional 26,055 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP grew its position in MKS by 212.5% during the 4th quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 12,231 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,955,000 after acquiring an additional 8,317 shares during the last quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of MKS during the fourth quarter valued at $5,097,000. Finally, Concentric Capital Strategies LP raised its holdings in MKS by 36.9% during the 4th quarter. Concentric Capital Strategies LP now owns 102,590 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $16,394,000 after purchasing an additional 27,677 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $199.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.44. The firm has a market cap of $16.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 2.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

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.