MKS’s (MKSI) Overweight Rating Reiterated at Cantor Fitzgerald

Cantor Fitzgerald reissued their overweight rating on shares of MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) in a research report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $600.00 price target on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $360.00 target price on MKS in a report on Friday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of MKS in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $453.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of MKS from $355.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of MKS from $300.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of MKS from $374.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $383.57.

MKS Stock Performance

Shares of MKSI stock opened at $313.10 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $21.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.98. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $348.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $288.38. MKS has a 12-month low of $88.49 and a 12-month high of $447.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.39. MKS had a return on equity of 21.49% and a net margin of 8.06%.The firm had revenue of $1.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.77 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.3% compared to the same quarter last year. MKS has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.890 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that MKS will post 11.81 EPS for the current year.

MKS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. MKS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP David Philip Henry sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.50, for a total transaction of $826,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,400,700.50. This trade represents a 13.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John Edward Williams sold 457 shares of MKS stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.31, for a total value of $131,757.67. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,181,494.38. This represents a 10.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 54,406 shares of company stock valued at $17,577,866. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MKS

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of MKS by 560.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of MKS by 616.7% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 172 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in MKS during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in MKS during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in MKS by 47.5% in the 2nd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

More MKS News

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MKS reported second-quarter revenue of approximately $1.25 billion, up 28.3% year over year and ahead of the $1.20 billion analyst consensus. EPS of $3.30 also exceeded estimates of $2.91, while operating profit reached $251 million and operating cash flow totaled $243 million. MKS Inc. Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter guidance was stronger than expected: EPS of $3.27–$3.89 versus consensus of $3.17, and revenue of $1.3–$1.4 billion versus estimates of $1.2 billion. The outlook suggests continued demand for MKS’s semiconductor and advanced-manufacturing technologies.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “Overweight” rating with a $600 target, while the broader analyst consensus is “Moderate Buy” with a target near $383.57.
• Neutral Sentiment: MKS declared its regular quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, payable September 3 to shareholders of record August 25. The annualized yield is modest at roughly 0.3%, so the dividend is unlikely to be a major trading catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning was mixed: 366 investors increased holdings in the latest quarter, while 254 reduced positions. Several large funds made substantial additions, but other major institutions cut their stakes.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider activity is a notable overhang. Quiver reported 40 insider sales and no purchases during the past six months, including sales by the CEO and other senior executives. A recent EVP sale was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, which reduces its signaling value but does not eliminate investor concern.
• Negative Sentiment: At roughly 65–67 times earnings, MKS trades at a demanding valuation. With shares still well below their 52-week high and above the 50-day average, investors may be taking profits after the strong run and demanding evidence that the elevated growth rate can continue.

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.