MKSI Falls 7.1% as Strong Quarter Was Overshadowed by Elevated Expectations

MKS Instruments (MKSI) is down 7.1% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The most likely driver is a post-earnings sell-off after investors digested results that were strong on the surface but may not have cleared already-high expectations. This could be because the stock had rallied into the report, while third-quarter guidance pointed to continued growth but only a modest sequential improvement in profitability and a slight step down in gross margin.

Details:

MKS posted second-quarter revenue of $1.248 billion and non-GAAP earnings of $3.30 per share, both above the high end or above the company’s prior guidance ranges.

For the third quarter, MKS guided to about $1.35 billion in revenue and non-GAAP earnings of about $3.58 per share, with gross margin around 47.0%, versus 47.6% in the second quarter.

Management highlighted strong demand tied to semiconductor deposition and etch, advanced packaging, AI-related chemistry equipment, and a healthy backlog extending through the second half of 2026.

The company is still balancing growth investments and debt reduction, including recent voluntary principal prepayments, which may have left some investors wanting an even bigger near-term upside signal.

Sources:

MKS Investor Relations, SEC, Market Chameleon

Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

$MKSI Insider Trading Activity

$MKSI insiders have traded $MKSI stock on the open market 41 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 41 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $MKSI stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

JOHN TSENG-CHUNG LEE (President & CEO) has made 0 purchases and 6 sales selling 50,000 shares for an estimated $13,878,142.
GERALD G COLELLA has made 0 purchases and 9 sales selling 40,000 shares for an estimated $11,736,749.
DAVID PHILIP HENRY (EVP, Global Str Mktg & GM, MSD) has made 0 purchases and 3 sales selling 10,500 shares for an estimated $3,235,953.
RAMAKUMAR MAYAMPURATH (EVP & CFO) sold 8,810 shares for an estimated $2,779,378
JAMES ALAN SCHREINER (EVP & COO) has made 0 purchases and 5 sales selling 8,381 shares for an estimated $2,503,775.
ERIC ROBERT TARANTO (EVP & GM, VSD) has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 6,020 shares for an estimated $1,366,941.
MICHELLE M MCCARTHY (SVP & Chief Accounting Officer) has made 0 purchases and 3 sales selling 3,900 shares for an estimated $1,133,772.
KATHLEEN FLAHERTY BURKE (EVP, GC & Secretary) sold 4,254 shares for an estimated $1,063,500
JACQUELINE F MOLONEY has made 0 purchases and 4 sales selling 3,569 shares for an estimated $1,036,707.
PETER III CANNONE has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 2,600 shares for an estimated $732,164.
JOSEPH B DONAHUE sold 2,100 shares for an estimated $688,703
JOHN EDWARD WILLIAMS (EVP & GM, PSD) has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 2,499 shares for an estimated $655,502.
ELIZABETH MORA has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 600 shares for an estimated $167,238.

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.

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$MKSI Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 456 institutional investors add shares of $MKSI stock to their portfolio, and 329 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

JPMORGAN CHASE & CO added 3,373,844 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $1,500,685,811
VICTORY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT INC removed 1,953,372 shares (-76.2%) from their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $868,859,865
ALKEON CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC added 1,072,040 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $476,843,392
INVESCO LTD. added 940,205 shares (+25.3%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $418,203,184
SACHEM HEAD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP added 812,700 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $361,488,960
SIXTH STREET PARTNERS MANAGEMENT COMPANY, L.P. added 808,198 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $359,486,470
SOUTHPOINT CAPITAL ADVISORS LP removed 600,000 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $137,886,000

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.

$MKSI Government Contracts

We have seen $1,034,029 of award payments to $MKSI over the last year.

Here are some of the awards which we have have seen pay out the most over the last year:

TSUNAMI LASER UPGRADE: $124,906

To track government contracts to publicy traded companies, check out Quiver Quantitative's government contracts dashboard. You can access data on government contracts through the Quiver Quantitative API government contracts endpoint.

$MKSI Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $MKSI in the last several months. We have seen 1 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

Needham issued a "Buy" rating on 05/07/2026

To track analyst ratings and price targets for $MKSI, check out Quiver Quantitative's $MKSI forecast page.

$MKSI Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $MKSI recently. We have seen 12 analysts offer price targets for $MKSI in the last 6 months, with a median target of $407.5.

Here are some recent targets:

Vijay Rakesh from Mizuho set a target price of $415.0 on 07/09/2026
Joseph Moore from Morgan Stanley set a target price of $442.0 on 07/06/2026
Bhavesh Lodaya from BMO Capital set a target price of $453.0 on 06/30/2026
Steve Barger from Keybanc set a target price of $475.0 on 06/29/2026
C.J. Muse from Cantor Fitzgerald set a target price of $600.0 on 06/29/2026
Vivek Arya from B of A Securities set a target price of $500.0 on 06/23/2026
Joseph Quatrochi from Wells Fargo set a target price of $300.0 on 05/08/2026

This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.