First National Bank of Omaha purchased a new position in MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI – Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 13,474 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,668,000.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MKSI. Norges Bank purchased a new position in MKS in the 2nd quarter worth $85,391,000. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC increased its holdings in shares of MKS by 146.4% in the second quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 912,380 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $90,654,000 after purchasing an additional 542,094 shares during the period. Channing Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of MKS by 79.3% in the second quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 991,298 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $98,495,000 after purchasing an additional 438,338 shares during the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MKS by 63.4% during the second quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 878,114 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $87,249,000 after purchasing an additional 340,645 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in MKS by 44.2% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 982,643 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $97,635,000 after buying an additional 301,223 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Transactions at MKS
In other MKS news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.81, for a total transaction of $47,643.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 18,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,011,514.03. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.
MKS Trading Down 4.8%
MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. MKS had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 21.30%. MKS’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.15 EPS. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
MKS Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be paid 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 positive change from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. MKS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.36%.
Key MKS News
Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:
- Positive Sentiment: MKS delivered revenue growth (Q4 revenue ~ $1.03B, up ~10.5% YoY) and beat some expectations on top‑line momentum; long‑term demand drivers in semicap and scientific markets remain intact. MKS Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Financial Results
- Positive Sentiment: Management completed a refinancing that improves the debt profile and raised the dividend — a shareholder‑friendly move that supports income investors and reduces financing risk. MKS Refinancing Reshapes Debt Profile While Raising Dividend For Investors
- Neutral Sentiment: The earnings‑call transcript provides management context on the quarter and guidance; useful for assessing whether near‑term margin and tariff comments are transitory or structural. MKS Inc. (MKSI) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
- Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street still skewed positive: multiple recent buy/overweight ratings and a median price target near $230 provide analyst support, though targets vary widely. MKSI price targets & analyst notes
- Negative Sentiment: EPS missed consensus by about $0.04 (non‑GAAP EPS $2.47 vs. ~$2.51 expected) and Q1 EPS guidance (1.72–2.28) centers below the consensus midpoint, prompting near‑term valuation re‑rating. MKS Earnings Miss Estimates in Q4, Revenues Increase Y/Y
- Negative Sentiment: Management flagged tariff uncertainty and guided gross margin around ~46% (±1%), creating downside risk to profits if tariffs or retaliation intensify. Tariff caveats and guidance details
- Negative Sentiment: Operating cash flow declined (~19% YoY) and some recent insider selling/institutional rebalancing increase near‑term selling pressure after the stock hit all‑time highs. MKSI Stock Falls on Q4 2025 Earnings
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
MKSI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of MKS from $135.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of MKS from $122.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of MKS from $187.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MKS in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on MKS from $175.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, MKS presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.50.
Get Our Latest Analysis on MKSI
MKS 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.
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