Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Receives $318.50 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $318.50.

Several brokerages have issued reports on WAT. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Waters in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $380.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Waters to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Waters from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd.

Institutional Trading of Waters

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Waters by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,879,316 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,368,067,000 after purchasing an additional 41,654 shares during the period. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd now owns 1,110,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $382,404,000 after acquiring an additional 11,851 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Waters by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 652,892 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $189,417,000 after acquiring an additional 51,853 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $206,286,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Waters by 21.0% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 448,304 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $130,053,000 after purchasing an additional 77,951 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $325.86 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $19.34 billion, a PE ratio of 31.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.59 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $325.58 and a 200-day moving average of $324.62. Waters has a one year low of $231.90 and a one year high of $367.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.42.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 56.81% and a net margin of 20.71%. The firm had revenue of $709.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $700.09 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Waters will post 11.6 earnings per share 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.