Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Trims Waters (NYSE:WAT) Target Price to $310.00

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price target cut by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on WAT. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Waters from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an in-line rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. SVB Leerink upgraded shares of Waters from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and increased their target price for the stock from $325.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Waters from $325.00 to $363.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a hold rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $310.58.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $345.66 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market capitalization of $20.52 billion, a PE ratio of 33.92, a P/E/G ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $303.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $322.00. Waters has a twelve month low of $231.90 and a twelve month high of $367.21.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $709.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $700.09 million. Waters had a return on equity of 56.81% and a net margin of 20.71%. The firm’s revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.80 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Waters will post 11.6 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total transaction of $1,446,560.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,321,894.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total transaction of $1,446,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,321,894.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Richard H. Fearon bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $332.90 per share, with a total value of $332,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $550,283.70. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.82% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 190.2% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.