Waters (NYSE:WAT) Price Target Raised to $360.00 at Sanford C. Bernstein

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price target increased by Sanford C. Bernstein from $345.00 to $360.00 in a report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “market perform” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s price target would indicate a potential downside of 7.00% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Leerink Partners upgraded Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $325.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. Cfra set a $389.00 price target on Waters in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on Waters from $325.00 to $363.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $365.85.

Waters Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:WAT opened at $387.09 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $343.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $326.09. Waters has a fifty-two week low of $241.95 and a fifty-two week high of $391.00. The firm has a market cap of $22.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.89, a P/E/G ratio of 7.59 and a beta of 0.97.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $740.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $712.99 million. Waters had a net margin of 21.43% and a return on equity of 49.93%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.84 EPS. Analysts predict that Waters will post 11.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 55.1% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,765 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,083,000 after purchasing an additional 5,248 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 4.3% in the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 443,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $152,664,000 after purchasing an additional 18,274 shares during the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the first quarter worth about $1,786,000. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the first quarter worth about $10,106,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 67.5% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 10,382 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,574,000 after purchasing an additional 4,184 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.