showing the working

← MKS

The business behind the dividend

MeasureMKSIMedianFormula
Return on equity10.8%10.6%Net income ÷ shareholders’ equity
Return on capital employed7.7%10.0%Operating income ÷ (equity + total debt)
Owner earnings$491.00m$120.90mNet income + depreciation & amortisation − capital expenditure
Free cash flow$497.00m$155.08mOperating cash flow − capital expenditure
Operating margin13.4%14.3%Operating income ÷ revenue
Net margin7.5%10.1%Net income ÷ revenue
Debt to equity1.53x0.73xTotal debt ÷ shareholders’ equity
Interest cover2.49x4.22xOperating income ÷ interest expense
Current ratio2.71x1.55xCurrent assets ÷ current liabilities
Long-term debt to working capital2.62x1.88xLong-term debt ÷ (current assets − current liabilities)
Cash conversion2.19x1.66xOperating cash flow ÷ net income
Accruals-4.0%-3.1%(Net income − operating cash flow) ÷ total assets

Ten years of it

The same measures, for every year the filings support. One year is a fact; a row is a business.

Measure2025202420232022202120202019201820172016Median
Return on equity10.8%8.2%-74.5%7.4%19.1%14.8%6.9%21.0%21.3%8.4%8.4%
Return on capital employed7.7%7.3%-20.9%6.4%18.8%14.3%7.6%22.3%20.5%8.5%7.7%
Operating margin13.4%13.9%-42.9%17.4%23.7%19.5%11.6%23.8%21.2%12.1%13.9%
Net margin7.5%5.3%-50.8%9.4%18.7%15.0%7.4%18.9%17.7%8.1%8.1%
Debt to equity1.53x1.93x2.00x1.14x0.29x0.35x0.43x0.18x0.25x0.49x0.43x
Current ratio2.71x3.19x3.18x2.93x4.67x4.83x4.51x5.56x4.27x4.21x4.21x
Cash conversion2.19x2.78x1.59x1.16x1.47x1.74x1.05x1.05x1.72x1.59x

How it compares in industrials

Among the 289 industrials companies here measured on free cash flow, MKS pays out less than 216 of them. The median for that group is 24.4%, against this company’s 11.9%.

Closest on free cash flow

Same sector and same denominator, so the figures are comparable. All 348 in industrials →