MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) updated its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 1.720-2.280 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 1.880. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.0 billion-$1.1 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.0 billion.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Mizuho set a $260.00 target price on shares of MKS in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on MKS from $175.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Bank of America increased their price objective on MKS from $215.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of MKS in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded MKS from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.17.

MKS Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI opened at $250.36 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $201.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.11. MKS has a 52 week low of $54.84 and a 52 week high of $269.91. The stock has a market cap of $16.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.29, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.95.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) 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 21.30%. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that MKS will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 is presently 21.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at MKS

In other news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.81, for a total value of $47,643.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 18,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,011,514.03. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Key MKS News

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target to $300 and maintained a Buy rating, providing fresh upside and analyst support after the print. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate actions: MKS completed a refinancing that reshapes its debt profile and increased the dividend — supportive for income‑oriented investors and credit metrics. Refinancing & Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Top‑line: Q4 revenue was about $1.03B, up ~10.5% year‑over‑year — healthy demand helped drive growth even as other metrics mixed. Earnings Release / Call
• Negative Sentiment: EPS slightly missed: non‑GAAP EPS of $2.47 versus consensus ~$2.51 — the small miss weighed on sentiment given high expectations after recent record highs. Zacks: Earnings Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious guidance and tariff risk: Q1 2026 EPS guide (1.72–2.28) has a midpoint below some street estimates and management called out U.S. import tariff uncertainty and possible retaliatory actions that could pressure margins. That commentary, plus a gross‑margin guide around 46% (±1%), spooked investors. QuiverQuant: Tariff Caveats
• Negative Sentiment: Cash flow & margin pressure: operating cash flow weakened year‑over‑year and cost of sales rose, signaling near‑term margin and free‑cash‑flow sensitivity that amplifies downside when expectations are high; insider selling and post‑high profit‑taking have added selling pressure. QuiverQuant: Cash Flow & Insider Activity

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKSI. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in MKS by 3.6% during 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 during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in MKS by 63.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 838 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in MKS by 3,545.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 141,267 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $14,036,000 after buying an additional 137,392 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in MKS during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,676,000. Finally, AXA S.A. raised its position in shares of MKS by 22.8% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 29,253 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,907,000 after buying an additional 5,430 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

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.