MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock Price Target Lowered at Citigroup

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) had its price objective reduced by equities researchers at Citigroup from $430.00 to $350.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Citigroup‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 82.04% from the stock’s current price.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on MKSI. Wall Street Zen raised MKS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $600.00 target price on shares of MKS in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded MKS from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $360.00 price target on MKS in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on MKS from $345.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $353.43.

MKS Trading Up 8.7%

NASDAQ:MKSI traded up $15.45 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $192.27. 2,616,023 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,393,944. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $13.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.81, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 2.14. MKS has a 52-week low of $134.74 and a 52-week high of $447.62. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $241.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $277.11.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $4.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.55. MKS had a net margin of 12.64% and a return on equity of 29.90%. The company had revenue of $1.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.93 EPS. MKS’s revenue for the quarter was up 43.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that MKS will post 13.14 EPS for the current year.

MKS announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, November 4th that allows the company to repurchase $500 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the scientific and technical instruments company to buy up to 3.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.96, for a total value of $75,288.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,729,341.20. This trade represents a 1.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John Tseng-Chung Lee sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.01, for a total transaction of $3,020,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 134,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,703,699.76. This represents a 6.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS by 47.5% in the second quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MKS by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 917 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MKS during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. North Dakota State Investment Board lifted its position in MKS by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board now owns 2,054 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $545,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in MKS by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,252 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,002,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MKS News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MKS reported Q3 adjusted EPS of $4.18, above the roughly $3.63 consensus, and revenue of $1.41 billion, up 43% year over year and ahead of estimates. The company also highlighted record adjusted EBITDA. Q3 earnings beat estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management pointed to AI-fueled semiconductor demand, capacity expansion and improving margins, with strong Q4 guidance: adjusted EPS of $4.62–$5.38. These trends support expectations for continued growth into 2027. Earnings call highlights
• Positive Sentiment: The board authorized up to $500 million in share repurchases, a program that could reduce the share count and signal confidence in the business. Buyback and dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: MKS also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share.
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo lowered its price target from $285 to $195 and assigned an “equal weight” rating, reflecting a more cautious view after the recent share-price decline. Wells Fargo rating

MKS Company Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc (NASDAQ: MKSI) develops technologies that enable precision control and measurement in manufacturing and research environments. The company provides instruments, components, systems and process-control solutions used to measure and control pressure, flow, vacuum, gas delivery, temperature and other critical production conditions.

Its product portfolio includes vacuum solutions, pressure and flow-control instruments, gas and vapor delivery systems, plasma and reactive-gas technologies, power delivery systems, process-monitoring equipment, analytical instruments and materials-characterization tools.