MKS Instruments MKSI reported first-quarter 2021 adjusted earnings of $2.56 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 17.9% and surged 66.2% year over year.Revenues of $693.9 million surpassed the consensus mark by 6.7% and increased 29.5% year over year, driven by buoyant demand for the company’s solutions in the semiconductor market.Products revenues (87.2% of total revenues) were $605 million, up 31.2% from the year-ago quarter’s levels. Services revenues (12.8%) increased 19.3% year over year to $88.9 million.MKS Instruments, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise MKS Instruments, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | MKS Instruments, Inc. Quote Quarterly UpdateRevenues from the semiconductor market (59.3% of total revenues) increased 31.7% year over year to $411.6 million owing to higher demand, particularly for the Vacuum & Analysis division. Revenues from advanced markets (40.7% of total revenues) were $282.3 million, up 26.5% from the year-ago quarter’s levels. The upside can be attributed to recovery in demand trends for Advanced Electronics applications.Segment-wise, Vacuum and Analysis (62.8% of total revenues) revenues surged 36.5% year over year to $435.8 million.Light and Motion division revenues (26.2% of total revenues) increased 10.1% year over year to $182 million.Equipment & Solutions segment revenues (11% of total revenues) were $76 million, up 49% year over year.Operating DetailsIn the first quarter, MKS Instruments’ adjusted gross margin expanded 170 basis points (bps) on a year-over-year basis to 46.4%.Adjusted EBITDA increased 53.4% year over year to $198.9 million. Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 450 bps on a year-over-year basis to 28.7%.Research & development and sales, general & administrative expenses, as a percentage of revenues, declined 110 bps and 250 bps on a year-over-year basis, respectively.MKS Instruments reported non-GAAP operating income of $179 million, up 62.7% year over year. Adjusted operating margin expanded 530 bps on a year-over-year basis to 25.8%.Balance SheetAs of Mar 31, 2021, MKS Instruments had cash and short-term investments of $909.5 million compared with $836 million as of Dec 31, 2020.Secured term-loan principal outstanding as of Mar 31, 2021 was $831 million. The company also had $100 million of incremental borrowing capacity under an asset-based line of credit, subject to certain borrowing base requirements.Cash flow from operations surged 69.4% year over year to $126.9 million. Free cash flow increased 54.7% year over year to $100.4 million.MKS Instruments paid out dividends worth $11 million during the reported quarter.Q2 GuidanceFor the second quarter of 2021, MKS Instruments anticipates revenues to be $740 million (+/- $30 million). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is currently pegged at $650 million, indicating growth of 21.3% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter.Non-GAAP earnings are expected to be $2.92 per share (+/- 26 cents).The consensus mark for earnings is currently pegged at $2.17 per share, suggesting an increase of 40.9% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter.Zacks Rank & Stocks to ConsiderCurrently, MKS Instruments has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Some better-ranked stocks in the broader technology sector are Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc. UCTT, Avnet AVT and Perficient, Inc. PRFT. All the three stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Avnet and Ultra Clean Holdings are scheduled to report their quarter earnings on Apr 28, while Perficient is scheduled to report the same on Apr 29.Time to Invest in Legal MarijuanaIf you’re looking for big gains, there couldn’t be a better time to get in on a young industry primed to skyrocket from $17.7 billion back in 2019 to an expected $73.6 billion by 2027.After a clean sweep of 6 election referendums in 5 states, pot is now legal in 36 states plus D.C. Federal legalization is expected soon and that could be a still greater bonanza for investors. Even before the latest wave of legalization, Zacks Investment Research has recommended pot stocks that have shot up as high as +285.9%You’re invited to check out Zacks’ Marijuana Moneymakers: An Investor’s Guide. It features a timely Watch List of pot stocks and ETFs with exceptional growth potential.Today, Download Marijuana Moneymakers FREE >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc. (UCTT): Free Stock Analysis Report Avnet, Inc. (AVT): Free Stock Analysis Report MKS Instruments, Inc. (MKSI): Free Stock Analysis Report Perficient, Inc. (PRFT): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research