Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Receives $298.00 Average PT from Analysts

Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) has earned an average rating of “Reduce” from the nine analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and eight have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $298.00.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Waters from $305.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 8th. Barclays cut shares of Waters from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $270.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, November 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, September 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $280.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Waters from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 8th.

Waters Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE:WAT opened at $261.04 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $260.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $267.56. Waters has a 52 week low of $231.90 and a 52 week high of $353.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.71. The stock has a market cap of $15.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.71, a PEG ratio of 5.83 and a beta of 0.90.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.28. Waters had a net margin of 21.80% and a return on equity of 102.22%. The firm had revenue of $711.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $722.27 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.64 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Waters will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Waters

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in Waters by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 3,801 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,042,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its holdings in Waters by 28.7% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 5,437 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,491,000 after acquiring an additional 1,213 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Waters by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 478,368 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $131,174,000 after acquiring an additional 24,286 shares during the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at $232,000. Finally, Toroso Investments LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 4,730 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,297,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Waters

Waters Corporation, a specialty measurement company, 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.