MKS Instruments
MKS Instruments' revenue rose 9.6% to $3.9 billion in fiscal 2025. Its operating margin was 13.4%, down from 13.9% a year earlier. Free cash flow was $497 million, up 21.2%. It paid out $104 million in dividends and buybacks, 21% of free cash flow. The diluted share count rose 0.1%.
Operating margin is operating income as a share of revenue. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending. Return on capital is after-tax operating income as a share of the money invested in the business: debt plus equity, minus cash. Market cap is the last closing share price times the latest diluted share count, so it is approximate. P/E is the last close divided by diluted earnings per share over the last four quarters, or the latest fiscal year where the quarters aren't available; there is none when the company made a loss.
Charts show fiscal years, from the 10-K filings.
Revenue and margins
Net income and earnings per share
From fiscal 2016 to 2025, earnings per share grew 9.4% a year and net income 12.2% a year, as new shares raised the share count by 25% and diluted each share's earnings.
Returns on capital
Cash flow
Payouts and share count
Valuation
Two ways to value MKS Instruments yourself, both starting from its filings: a discounted cash flow model and the price-to-earnings method.
Discounted cash flow (DCF)
A discounted cash flow (DCF) model values a business as the cash it may generate in future, discounted back to today. The starting figures come from MKS Instruments' 10-K (or, for net cash and shares, its latest 10-Q) and the assumptions are yours: start from one of three example scenarios, then change any figure to see what it implies for a share, and how that compares with the last share price.
Value per share on three example scenarios, from MKS Instruments' fiscal 2025 free cash flow of $497M, net cash of −$3.9B at December 31, 2025 and 68 million diluted shares, from its filings. The scenarios are fitted to MKS Instruments: the base scenario's growth in years 1 to 5 is its revenue growth over the last 3 years, 3.5% a year; the cautious and optimistic ones are lower and higher, and growth in years 6 to 10 is halfway to the long-run rate. The base scenario's discount rate is 12%: 11% for a cyclical or higher-risk business (Semiconductor Materials & Equipment), plus 1 point for unsteady results (a loss in fiscal 2023); the cautious and optimistic ones use a point more and a point less. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.
- Last close, October 26, 2026
- $202.28
- Value on these assumptions, against the last close
- —
- Cash flows in years 1 to 10, valued today
- —
- Everything after year 10, valued today
- —
- Plus net cash
- —
- Share of value from after year 10
How the value changes with two assumptions
Price-to-earnings (P/E) method
Another common way to value a company is to multiply its earnings per share by a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple: the number of years of today's earnings an investor pays for a share. A higher multiple usually means investors expect earnings to grow. Choose a multiple, for example from similar companies, to see the value it gives.
Value per share on three example scenarios, from MKS Instruments' earnings per share of $6.28 (over the last four quarters). Each grows earnings for a year at the cash flow scenarios' rates and applies a multiple to next year's earnings: 34×, the middle of MKS Instruments' own P/E today, its peers' median and its sector's median (the Information Technology median) for the base scenario, 20% less and more for the cautious and optimistic ones. The price is brought back a year at 13%, 12% and 11%. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.
- Last close, October 26, 2026
- $202.28
- Value at this multiple, against the last close
- —
- MKS Instruments' P/E at the last close
- 32.2×
| Company | Last close | Earnings per share | P/E today |
|---|---|---|---|
| TeradyneTER | $309.00 | $3.47 | 89.0× |
| EntegrisENTG | $140.22 | $2.00 | 70.1× |
| Advanced EnergyAEIS | $221.13 | $5.38 | 41.1× |
| Qnity ElectronicsQ | $114.07 | $3.30 | 34.6× |
| MKS InstrumentsMKSI | $202.28 | $6.28 | 32.2× |
Balance sheet
| Fiscal year end | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and short-term investments | 1,042 | 910 | 507 | 420 | 418 |
| Debt incl. finance leases | 817 | 4,964 | 4,823 | 4,567 | 4,276 |
| Net debt (negative means net cash) | −225 | 4,054 | 4,316 | 4,147 | 3,858 |
| Net debt to EBITDA | −0.3x | 4.9x | — | 4.9x | 4.4x |
| Debt to equity | 0.3x | 1.1x | 1.9x | 2.0x | 1.6x |
| Interest coverage | 28.0x | 3.5x | −4.4x | 1.8x | 2.5x |
| Current ratio | 4.7x | 2.9x | 3.2x | 3.2x | 2.7x |
| Quick ratio | 3.4x | 1.9x | 2.0x | 2.0x | 1.7x |
Insider trades
Over the 12 months between October 27, 2025 and October 26, 2026, no insider bought MKS Instruments shares on the open market, and 13 insiders sold $43.4 million, $17.9 million of it under trading plans set up in advance.
| Date | Insider | Trade | Shares | Price | Value | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Elizabeth MoraDirector | Sold plan | 300 | $250.96 | $75,288 | Form 4 |
| Aug 14, 2026 | John Tseng-Chung LeePresident & CEO, Director | Sold plan | 10,000 | $302.01 | $3.0 million | Form 4 |
| Aug 3, 2026 | John Edward WilliamsEVP & Gm, Psd | Sold plan | 457 | $288.31 | $131,758 | Form 4 |
| Jun 12, 2026 | James Alan SchreinerEVP & COO | Sold | 3,500 | $345.82 | $1.2 million | Form 4 |
| Jun 10, 2026 | James Alan SchreinerEVP & COO | Sold plan | 781 | $317.42 | $247,905 | Form 4 |
| Jun 5, 2026 | Michelle M McCarthySVP & Chief Accounting Officer | Sold plan | 2,434 | $315.23 | $767,270 | Form 4 |
| Jun 1, 2026 | David Philip HenryEVP, Global Str Mktg & GM, Msd | Sold | 6,000 | $314.43 | $1.9 million | Form 4 |
| Jun 1, 2026 | Elizabeth MoraDirector | Sold plan | 300 | $318.02 | $95,406 | Form 4 |
| May 27, 2026 | Gerald G ColellaDirector | Sold plan | 20,000 | $333.40 | $6.7 million | Form 4 |
| May 27, 2026 | Joseph B DonahueDirector | Sold | 2,100 | $327.95 | $688,695 | Form 4 |
| May 26, 2026 | David Philip HenryEVP, Global Str Mktg & GM, Msd | Sold plan | 2,500 | $330.50 | $826,250 | Form 4 |
| May 22, 2026 | John Tseng-Chung LeePresident & CEO, Director | Sold plan | 10,000 | $315.48 | $3.2 million | Form 4 |
Piotroski F-score
The F-score counts how many of nine simple tests of profitability, funding and efficiency a company passed in a year (Piotroski, 2000). The more tests passed, the stronger the year: 8 or 9 is strong, 0 to 2 weak. Companies that report no gross profit are scored on the other eight.
| Test | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net income is positive | Fail | Pass | Pass |
| Cash from operations is positive | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Return on assets rose | Fail | Pass | Pass |
| Cash from operations exceeds net income | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Debt fell relative to assets | Pass | Fail | Pass |
| Current ratio rose | Pass | Pass | Fail |
| Share count didn't rise | Fail | Fail | Fail |
| Gross margin rose | Pass | Pass | Fail |
| Revenue rose relative to assets | Fail | Pass | Pass |
| F-score | 5 of 9 | 7 of 9 | 6 of 9 |
| Accruals ratio | −21.0% | −3.8% | −4.0% |
Compare
Put MKS Instruments side by side with any other company we cover: revenue, growth, margins, cash flow and returns, with ten years of charts.
Similar companies
| Company | Year | Revenue growth | Operating margin | Free cash flow margin | Return on capital | Net debt to EBITDA | F-score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MKS Instruments | FY25 | 9.6% | 13.4% | 12.6% | 7.8% | 4.4x | 6 | |
| Qnity Electronics | FY25 | 9.7% | — | 20.8% | 7.3% | 2.3x | — | Compare |
| Entegris | FY25 | −1.4% | 14.3% | 12.4% | 5.8% | — | 6 | Compare |
| Teradyne | FY25 | 13.1% | 20.4% | 14.1% | 23.0% | −0.1x | 5 | Compare |
| Advanced Energy | FY25 | 21.4% | 9.3% | 7.0% | 13.6% | −1.0x | 6 | Compare |
10 years of figures
| Fiscal year | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income statement | ||||||||||
| Revenue | 1,295 | 1,916 | 2,075 | 1,900 | 2,330 | 2,950 | 3,547 | 3,622 | 3,586 | 3,931 |
| Revenue growth | 59.2% | 47.9% | 8.3% | −8.4% | 22.6% | 26.6% | 20.2% | 2.1% | −1.0% | 9.6% |
| Gross profit | 566 | 892 | 980 | 830 | 1,049 | 1,380 | 1,547 | 1,642 | 1,708 | 1,837 |
| Research and development | 111 | 133 | 136 | 164 | 173 | 200 | 241 | 288 | 271 | 299 |
| Operating income | 157 | 407 | 494 | 220 | 454 | 699 | 617 | −1,554 | 498 | 528 |
| Net income | 105 | 339 | 393 | 140 | 350 | 551 | 333 | −1,841 | 190 | 295 |
| Diluted EPS (US$) | 1.94 | 6.16 | 7.14 | 2.55 | 6.33 | 9.90 | 5.56 | −27.54 | 2.81 | 4.37 |
| Diluted shares (millions) | 54 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 56 | 60 | 67 | 68 | 68 |
| Cash flow | ||||||||||
| Cash from operations | 180 | 355 | 414 | 244 | 513 | 640 | 529 | 319 | 528 | 645 |
| Capital expenditure | 19 | 31 | 63 | 64 | 85 | 87 | 164 | 87 | 118 | 148 |
| Free cash flow | 161 | 324 | 351 | 181 | 428 | 553 | 365 | 232 | 410 | 497 |
| Dividends paid | 36 | 38 | 42 | 44 | 44 | 47 | 52 | 59 | 59 | 59 |
| Share buybacks | 2 | 0 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 |
| Acquisitions | 940 | 0 | 0 | 989 | 0 | 268 | 4,473 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stock-based compensation | 25 | 24 | 27 | 49 | 30 | 37 | 45 | 54 | 48 | 55 |
| Balance sheet at fiscal year end | ||||||||||
| Cash and short-term investments | 418 | 543 | 718 | 524 | 836 | 1,042 | 910 | 507 | 420 | 418 |
| Debt incl. finance leases | 612 | 393 | 348 | 884 | 830 | 817 | 4,964 | 4,823 | 4,567 | 4,276 |
| Total assets | 2,212 | 2,414 | 2,614 | 3,416 | 3,904 | 4,540 | 11,495 | 9,118 | 8,590 | 8,796 |
| Total liabilities | 970 | 825 | 741 | 1,393 | 1,543 | 1,653 | 7,012 | 6,646 | 6,268 | 6,077 |
| Shareholders' equity | 1,242 | 1,589 | 1,873 | 2,022 | 2,360 | 2,887 | 4,483 | 2,472 | 2,322 | 2,719 |
| Margins and ratios | ||||||||||
| Gross margin | 43.7% | 46.5% | 47.2% | 43.7% | 45.0% | 46.8% | 43.6% | 45.3% | 47.6% | 46.7% |
| Operating margin | 12.1% | 21.2% | 23.8% | 11.6% | 19.5% | 23.7% | 17.4% | −42.9% | 13.9% | 13.4% |
| Net margin | 8.1% | 17.7% | 18.9% | 7.4% | 15.0% | 18.7% | 9.4% | −50.8% | 5.3% | 7.5% |
| Free cash flow margin | 12.4% | 16.9% | 16.9% | 9.5% | 18.4% | 18.8% | 10.3% | 6.4% | 11.4% | 12.6% |
| Return on capital | — | 21.4% | 27.4% | 8.9% | 15.9% | 23.1% | 8.5% | −16.0% | 7.5% | 7.8% |
| Return on equity | 8.7% | 24.0% | 22.7% | 7.2% | 16.0% | 21.0% | 9.0% | −52.9% | 7.9% | 11.7% |
| Return on assets | 6.0% | 14.7% | 15.6% | 4.7% | 9.6% | 13.1% | 4.2% | −17.9% | 2.1% | 3.4% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 0.9x | −0.3x | −0.7x | 1.1x | −0.0x | −0.3x | 4.9x | — | 4.9x | 4.4x |