Analysts Set Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Price Target at $375.85

Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $379.71.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $355.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th.

Waters Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE:WAT opened at $373.15 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $367.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $339.24. Waters has a one year low of $279.24 and a one year high of $397.02. The firm has a market cap of $22.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.61, a P/E/G ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 2.02.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. Waters had a net margin of 21.43% and a return on equity of 49.93%. The company had revenue of $740.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $712.99 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.84 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Waters will post 11.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Waters

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waters by 70.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 656,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $236,095,000 after purchasing an additional 271,804 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Waters by 74.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 70,507 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,189,000 after buying an additional 30,101 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in Waters by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,998 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,439,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $100,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 25.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,433 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $908,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

About Waters

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.