Zacks Research Estimates MKS’s Q1 Earnings (NASDAQ:MKSI)

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of MKS in a research report issued on Tuesday, March 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the scientific and technical instruments company will post earnings of $1.88 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.63. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for MKS’s current full-year earnings is $6.94 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for MKS’s Q2 2026 earnings at $2.09 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.38 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.30 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.40 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.85 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.43 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $9.98 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $14.56 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on MKSI. Citigroup lifted their price target on MKS from $185.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of MKS from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of MKS from $200.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of MKS in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Mizuho set a $320.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.46.

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $225.28 on Wednesday. MKS has a 12-month low of $54.84 and a 12-month high of $269.91. The company has a market cap of $15.15 billion, a PE ratio of 51.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.94. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $223.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $168.33. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.71 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 business had revenue of $1.03 billion during 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%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.15 earnings per share. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS.

MKS Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kathleen Flaherty Burke sold 4,254 shares of MKS stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,063,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 53,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,448,500. This trade represents a 7.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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. This represents a 16.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 68,163 shares of company stock valued at $17,215,417 in the last quarter. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MKS

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MKS by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 267,421 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $21,434,000 after acquiring an additional 9,170 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in MKS by 19.8% in the second quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 4,855 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $482,000 after acquiring an additional 802 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in shares of MKS during the second quarter worth $46,000. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MKS in the 2nd quarter valued at about $305,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in MKS by 1.1% in the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 10,964 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

MKS News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research sharply raised near- and medium-term EPS forecasts (multiple quarters and FY2027/FY2028), upgraded the stock to “Strong-Buy” and now models substantially higher earnings growth through 2028 — a clear bullish signal for growth expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Several brokerages have lifted price targets and reiterated buy/overweight ratings (Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Cantor Fitzgerald, Morgan Stanley), supporting upside to consensus valuation; MarketBeat notes a consensus “Moderate Buy” and an average target near $273.46.
• Positive Sentiment: MKS recently raised its quarterly dividend (to $0.25), a signal of cash-flow confidence that can support shareholder returns and attract income-sensitive buyers.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership and big inflows were reported (Norges Bank, Southpoint, Frontier, Westfield, Millennium increases). High institutional ownership (reported ~99.8%) can amplify moves but also reduce free float — neutral-to-bullish depending on flows.
• Neutral Sentiment: Latest quarterly results showed revenue growth and a slight EPS miss vs. consensus; management provided Q1 guidance. These mixed fundamentals leave near-term reaction dependent on forward commentary and execution.
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~20% in February to ~3.84M shares (≈5.7% of float). Higher shorting can create downside pressure but also raises potential for short-covering volatility.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP Eric Taranto sold 4,568 shares (~$1.0M) in early March, reducing his stake ~22.8%. Insider selling is often viewed cautiously by investors. Insider Trade Report

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.