Waters (NYSE:WAT) Price Target Lowered to $300.00 at Evercore ISI

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price target cut by Evercore ISI from $320.00 to $300.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an in-line rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a hold rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Waters from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 28th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $301.20.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE:WAT opened at $284.49 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $16.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.92, a PEG ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.95. Waters has a 1 year low of $231.90 and a 1 year high of $367.21. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $315.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $323.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $636.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $635.57 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.75% and a return on equity of 66.59%. Waters’s quarterly revenue was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.49 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Waters will post 11.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

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

Institutional Trading of Waters

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WAT. IMPACTfolio LLC increased its stake in Waters by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. IMPACTfolio LLC now owns 803 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers Inc. ID grew its stake in Waters by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers Inc. ID now owns 11,469 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,776,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.9% in the first quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $446,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eads & Heald Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 5.9% during the first quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 681 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.