Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Waters (NYSE:WAT) Stock

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price target lifted by research analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $310.00 to $325.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft’s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 16.04% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $355.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays increased their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Leerink Partners raised Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $325.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $365.85.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $387.09 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $343.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $326.09. The stock has a market cap of $22.98 billion, a PE ratio of 36.89, a PEG ratio of 7.59 and a beta of 0.97. Waters has a 52-week low of $241.95 and a 52-week high of $391.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $740.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $712.99 million. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.84 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Waters will post 11.63 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WAT. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Waters in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in 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 last quarter. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its stake in Waters by 19,900.0% in the second quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.