Waters (NYSE:WAT) Given New $312.00 Price Target at Robert W. Baird

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its target price dropped by investment analysts at Robert W. Baird from $319.00 to $312.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price objective would suggest a potential downside of 4.31% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on WAT. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Waters from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $301.33.

Waters Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of WAT stock opened at $326.06 on Wednesday. Waters has a fifty-two week low of $231.90 and a fifty-two week high of $363.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.22. The company has a market cap of $19.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.05, a PEG ratio of 6.39 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $333.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $310.76.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.11. Waters had a net margin of 21.72% and a return on equity of 81.30%. The firm had revenue of $636.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $635.57 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.49 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Waters will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total value of $177,770.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $799,965. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.82% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new stake in Waters during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Waters in the third quarter worth $33,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 300.0% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.