Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Receives $307.20 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) has been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a hold rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $305.20.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Waters from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. TD Cowen raised their target price on Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new position in Waters during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 300.0% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $289.98 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $316.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $323.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.94. The stock has a market cap of $17.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.46, a P/E/G ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.97. Waters has a one year low of $231.90 and a one year high of $367.21.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.11. Waters had a return on equity of 66.59% and a net margin of 20.75%. The firm had revenue of $636.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $635.57 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.49 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Waters will post 11.85 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.