Insider Selling: MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) EVP Sells $523,120.00 in Stock

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.56, for a total transaction of $523,120.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,928,051.96. The trade was a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

MKS Stock Performance

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

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.51 by ($0.04). MKS had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 20.85%. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.15 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend 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 22.88%.

MKS News Roundup

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in MKS during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. bought a new stake in MKS during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on MKSI. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of MKS from $200.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Mizuho set a $320.00 price objective on shares of MKS in a report on Thursday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of MKS from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of MKS from $210.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $300.00 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 assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.46.

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.