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

Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. (NYSE:MTD) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $1,721.00 and last traded at $1,716.9650, with a volume of 9,601 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $1,685.32.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on MTD shares. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Mettler-Toledo International in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $1,515.00 target price on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on Mettler-Toledo International in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $1,200.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,400.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,575.00 to $1,700.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,225.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,469.15.

Mettler-Toledo International Stock Up 1.0%

The company has a market cap of $34.39 billion, a PE ratio of 37.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,489.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,339.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 159.45, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $11.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.78 by $0.68. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion for 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 business’s revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $10.09 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. will post 47.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Mettler-Toledo International news, CEO Patrick Kaltenbach sold 942 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,425.00, for a total transaction of $1,342,350.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,384,000. This trade represents a 17.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Gerry Keller sold 240 shares of Mettler-Toledo International stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,427.14, for a total transaction of $342,513.60. Following the sale, the insider owned 259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $369,629.26. This trade represents a 48.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 90 days. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MTD. North Dakota State Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of Mettler-Toledo International by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board now owns 617 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $932,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC increased its position in Mettler-Toledo International by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC now owns 373 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $564,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in Mettler-Toledo International by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 2,794 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,222,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Torray Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Mettler-Toledo International by 0.5% in the first quarter. Torray Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,115,000 after buying an additional 8 shares during the period. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Mettler-Toledo International by 2.2% in the third quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 372 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $562,000 after buying an additional 8 shares during the period. 95.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Mettler-Toledo International

Mettler-Toledo International Inc (NYSE: MTD) develops and manufactures precision instruments and related services for laboratory, industrial, and retail applications. Its products help customers weigh, measure, analyze, inspect, and control materials and processes with high accuracy.

The company’s laboratory offerings include balances and scales, analytical instruments, titration and pH systems, thermal analysis equipment, spectroscopy products, laboratory automation solutions, and associated software.