MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Price Target Raised to $300.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its target price lifted by Wells Fargo & Company from $255.00 to $300.00 in a report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

MKSI has been the topic of a number of other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $380.00 price target on shares of MKS in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of MKS from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MKS in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of MKS from $300.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MKS presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.23.

MKS Trading Up 4.1%

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

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.00 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.05 billion. MKS had a return on equity of 21.49% and a net margin of 8.06%.The business’s revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.71 earnings per share. MKS has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.600-3.200 EPS. On average, analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This is a positive change from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. MKS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS

In related news, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.77, for a total value of $7,703,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 154,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,721,291.92. The trade was a 16.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald G. Colella sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.97, for a total transaction of $2,539,700.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 40,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,163,117.49. The trade was a 19.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 68,503 shares of company stock worth $17,288,099. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MKS

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MKSI. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of MKS in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in MKS by 560.0% during 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 period. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in MKS by 616.7% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 172 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of MKS in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS by 55.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 256 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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

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.