Waters (NYSE:WAT) Price Target Raised to $360.00

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price target lifted by Stifel Nicolaus from $332.00 to $360.00 in a report published on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on WAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Waters from $325.00 to $363.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Cfra set a $389.00 price target on Waters in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $365.85.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $386.59 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $344.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $326.73. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $22.96 billion, a PE ratio of 36.90, a PEG ratio of 7.50 and a beta of 0.97. Waters has a 12 month low of $241.95 and a 12 month high of $393.38.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The company had revenue of $740.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $712.99 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.84 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Waters will post 11.67 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Waters

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 851 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Linscomb Wealth Inc. raised its stake in Waters by 0.4% in the second quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 7,841 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,275,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 3.2% in the second quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,084 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,170 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 13,087 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,797,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

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.