Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
Options put/call open interest 1.55, read 2026-11-02
Ethical does not pass the values gate
Price194.95 USD
Fair valueUnder review
Ethical score70.0/100
Our investment reviews on this name
2026-10-28Read Distribution196.55-0.8% to today ✓Markdown gives way to Distribution after a 21% slide in 7 days
2026-10-21Read Markdown247.56-21.3% to today ✓Accumulation gives way to Markdown after a 6% slide in 7 days
2026-10-14Read Accumulation264.50-26.3% to today Markup gives way to Accumulation first Accumulation read since July
2026-10-02Read Markup256.92-24.1% to today Markdown gives way to Markup with volume flow in agreement
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
MKS Inc holds its Distribution at $194.95. Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 46 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-11-04
Phase
Distribution · caution
Quantitative state
Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 46 days
Price at the screen
$194.95
Valuation
31.25 trailing · 11.18 forward price to earnings
Values screen
FAIL· score 70.0
Beta
2.03
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Does not pass. Debt ratio
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Permissible
Core business clean
Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending.
Pass
Debt load
50.56%
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is 50.6% of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows.
Fail
Interest-bearing cash
0.00%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
15.08%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 15.1% of assets, under the 49% limit.
Pass
Revenue purity
0.79%
Below 5%
Only 0.8% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line.
Pass
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
The Ethical Read
Why It Falls Short, in Plain English
MKS's business is in a permissible area, but its interest-bearing debt is about 51% of the company, well over the ~33% line, so it does not pass on the financial screens.
Read as at 2026-11-05. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
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Today MKSI does not pass the screen. If new figures move it to a pass, we send you one short email with the before and after. Verdicts change rarely, so you may not hear from us for a long time.
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What the Numbers Say It Is Worth
The Fair Value Range
Fair value under review. Our model's value is 2.10x the price, above our 2.00x limit. We show no fair value, margin of safety or value read built on it until the review clears.
Where our models see it going: no fair-value estimate yet, range not available, dated to the 2026-11-04 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
Chip equipment supplier offers little edge today
Every wafer that leaves a fab depends on vacuum and laser kit that keeps the process running. MKS supplies that kit across the big semiconductor hubs. The business posts 15% revenue growth and clears an 8% profit margin, yet returns on equity sit at just 13% with only a narrow moat.
Those figures explain why the shares trade below our fair value of 387.88 against a 21.3 times forward earnings multiple. Analyst targets cluster around 380 and the ethical screen clears, but the combination of modest profitability and limited competitive protection leaves no real margin of safety at the current price.
The main risk is the sharp cyclical swings in semiconductor capital spending that can flatten growth and margins for years at a time. A narrow moat offers little shelter when orders slow. Analysis, not advice.
Another profit measure, before interest, tax and non-cash costs: EBITDA.
The risks · The things to watch: it already moves more than the market on an average day.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
MKSI trades on NASDAQ. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The Dated Journal · Newest First, Never Edited
Every Entry, As Written
2026-11-04Distribution$205.18+1.6%Entry 16
The analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved up 1.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is holding around 22% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 236%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 38%. The street (12 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $360. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-11-03Distribution$202.04+0.0%Entry 15
The analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is holding around 22% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 236%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 38%. The street (12 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $360. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-11-02Distribution$202.04+0.0%Entry 14
The analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is holding around 22% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 236%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 38%. The street (12 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $360. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-11-01Distribution$202.04+2.8%Entry 13
The analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved up 2.8% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is holding around 22% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 236%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 38%. The street (12 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $360. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-10-31Distribution$196.55+0.0%Entry 12
The analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is holding around 22% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 236%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 38%. The street (12 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $360. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-10-30Distribution$196.55+0.0%Entry 11
The analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is holding around 22% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 236%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 38%. The street (12 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $360. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-10-29Distribution$196.55+0.0%Entry 10
The analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is holding around 22% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 236%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 38%. The street (12 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $360. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
The framework has shifted from markdown to distribution since the last review. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 20.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C. Technically it is holding around 22% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 236%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 38%. The street (12 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $360. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
2026-10-21Markdown · changed$247.56-6.4%Entry 8
The framework has shifted from accumulation to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 6.4% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D. Technically it is holding around 14% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 236%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 38%. The street (12 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $360.
The framework has shifted from markup to accumulation since the last review. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 3.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B. Technically it is holding around 66% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 236%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 38%. The street (12 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $360.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
