Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Receives $390.40 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the sixteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $391.07.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WAT. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in Waters by 235.7% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Waters by 129.3% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Waters stock opened at $392.34 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $23.31 billion, a PE ratio of 36.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. Waters has a 12 month low of $279.24 and a 12 month high of $423.56. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $390.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $369.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. Analysts expect that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

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.