Waters (NYSE:WAT) Given New $358.00 Price Target at TD Cowen

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price objective lifted by TD Cowen from $350.00 to $358.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a hold rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

WAT has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. 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. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an in-line rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $306.70.

Waters Trading Up 3.9 %

Shares of WAT stock traded up $12.62 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $336.42. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 430,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 420,466. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $332.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $310.85. Waters has a one year low of $231.90 and a one year high of $363.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.84, a P/E/G ratio of 6.39 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $635.57 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.49 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Waters will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $799,965. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waters

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in Waters during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Company Profile

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.