Waters (NYSE:WAT) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning.

Several other research firms also recently commented on WAT. Scotiabank raised Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $390.40.

Waters Stock Up 0.3 %

WAT opened at $377.30 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $388.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $365.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $22.40 billion, a PE ratio of 35.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 1.01. Waters has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Waters will post 12.88 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its stake in Waters by 48.0% in the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 38,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,443,000 after purchasing an additional 12,634 shares in the last quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter worth about $544,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its stake in Waters by 3,081.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $130,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. GTS Securities LLC grew its stake in Waters by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 1,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Waters by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 502,679 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $186,484,000 after purchasing an additional 25,535 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation provides analytical workflow solutions in Asia, the Americas, and Europe. It operates through two segments: Waters and TA. The company designs, manufactures, sells, and services high and ultra-performance liquid chromatography, as well as mass spectrometry (MS) technology systems and support products, including chromatography columns, other consumable products, and post-warranty service plans.