Insider Selling: MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) EVP Sells $1,063,500.00 in Stock

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 4,254 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,063,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 53,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,448,500. The trade was a 7.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

MKS Trading Up 1.8%

MKSI opened at $255.91 on Thursday. MKS Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.84 and a 52 week high of $269.91. The company has a market capitalization of $17.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.56, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.95. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $210.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $159.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. 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). The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. MKS had a return on equity of 20.85% and a net margin of 7.53%.MKS’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.15 EPS. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS. Analysts forecast 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 $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. MKS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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 Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in MKS in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in MKS by 616.7% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 172 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. purchased a new stake in MKS during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in MKS by 74.5% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 260 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on MKSI. Zacks Research raised shares of MKS from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Benchmark lifted their price target on MKS from $135.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on MKS from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on MKS from $200.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $273.46.

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.