Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. (NYSE:MTD) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday. The stock traded as high as $1,585.72 and last traded at $1,552.22, with a volume of 6800 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $1,541.63.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MTD shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on Mettler-Toledo International in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $1,200.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Mettler-Toledo International from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Mettler-Toledo International from $1,400.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Mettler-Toledo International from $1,575.00 to $1,700.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Mettler-Toledo International from $1,400.00 to $1,580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,459.54.

Mettler-Toledo International Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $1,419.19 and its 200 day moving average is $1,297.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 159.45, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.12. The firm has a market cap of $30.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.47, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.19.

Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $11.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.78 by $0.68. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. Mettler-Toledo International had a negative return on equity of 1,212.14% and a net margin of 21.91%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $10.09 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. will post 47.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Mettler-Toledo International

In other Mettler-Toledo International news, CFO Shawn Vadala sold 2,240 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,432.00, for a total transaction of $3,207,680.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 5,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,989,128. This represents a 28.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Patrick Kaltenbach sold 942 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,425.00, for a total value of $1,342,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,480 shares in the company, valued at $6,384,000. This represents a 17.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 4,254 shares of company stock valued at $6,092,712 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mettler-Toledo International

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Mettler-Toledo International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mettler-Toledo International in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Mettler-Toledo International in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Mettler-Toledo International during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in Mettler-Toledo International by 45.5% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 32 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.07% of the company’s stock.

Mettler-Toledo International Company Profile

Mettler-Toledo International Inc is a global manufacturer of precision instruments and related services used in laboratory, industrial, food processing, pharmaceutical and retail applications. The company’s solutions help customers measure, analyze, inspect and control materials and products throughout research, manufacturing and distribution processes.

Its product portfolio includes laboratory balances and scales, analytical instruments, automated chemistry systems, titrators, density and refractometry equipment, process analytics, industrial weighing systems, product inspection technologies and retail weighing and labeling solutions.