Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Waters (NYSE:WAT) Stock Price

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its target price lifted by Wells Fargo & Company from $380.00 to $415.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

WAT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Waters to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Leerink Partnrs raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $365.85.

Waters Stock Down 0.1 %

WAT opened at $386.17 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.50 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 2.02. Waters has a one year low of $246.35 and a one year high of $393.38. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $345.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $327.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $740.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $712.99 million. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.84 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Waters will post 11.67 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 1.7% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 3,916 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in Waters by 0.4% in the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 176,100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $63,377,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 71.9% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 140,992 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $50,742,000 after acquiring an additional 58,983 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 348.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 20,496 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,376,000 after acquiring an additional 15,924 shares during the period. Finally, Linscomb Wealth Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 8,032 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,891,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.