Gerald Colella Sells 10,000 Shares of MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) Stock

by · The Markets Daily

MKS Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Free Report) Director Gerald Colella sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.90, for a total transaction of $2,529,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 50,017 shares in the company, valued at $12,649,299.30. The trade was a 16.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

MKS Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of MKS stock traded down $1.38 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $252.33. 1,041,971 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,654,198. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $206.74 and a 200-day moving average of $157.93. MKS Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.84 and a 12 month high of $269.91. The company has a market cap of $16.95 billion, a PE ratio of 57.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 2.71.

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.51 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. MKS had a return on equity of 20.85% and a net margin of 7.53%.The firm’s revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.15 EPS. MKS has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.720-2.280 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that MKS Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. This is an increase from MKS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. MKS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.14%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MKS

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in MKS in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of MKS by 560.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 165 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in MKS by 616.7% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. purchased a new position in shares of MKS during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of MKS in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MKSI shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of MKS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded MKS from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on MKS from $210.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of MKS from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on MKS from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.46.

Check Out Our Latest Report on MKS

Trending Headlines about MKS

Here are the key news stories impacting MKS this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokers raised price targets and reiterated Buy/Overweight views (recent top targets reported near $300–$305), which supports upside expectations versus the recent run-up. Read More.
  • Positive Sentiment: CEO John T.C. Lee will appear in a Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom fireside chat (Mar 2, webcast available). That event gives management a public forum to update investors on demand trends, product roadmap and margins. Read More.
  • Positive Sentiment: MKS increased its quarterly dividend (to $0.25/share), signaling confidence in cash flow and returning capital to shareholders. That supports longer‑term investor interest. Read More.
  • Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street coverage remains broadly constructive (multiple Buy/Overweight ratings and a mid‑range analyst median target), which underpins sentiment but may be partially priced in after the recent share run. Read More.
  • Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling was filed on Feb. 20: CEO John T.C. Lee sold 30,000 shares (~$7.7M) and multiple other executives/directors sold additional stakes (totaling tens of thousands of shares). Those Form 4 disclosures have reduced insiders’ positions and are pressuring sentiment near current levels. Read More.

About MKS

(Get Free Report)

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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