Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $384.71.

Several analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. Scotiabank assumed coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $430.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th.

Waters Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of WAT stock opened at $413.58 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $24.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.46, a PEG ratio of 7.45 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $388.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $360.54. Waters has a one year low of $279.24 and a one year high of $423.56.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 235.7% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at $63,000. Institutional investors 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.