Brokerages Set Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) PT at $301.20

Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) have been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the eleven brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and ten have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $301.20.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Waters from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. TD Cowen raised their price target on Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Waters from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th.

Waters Stock Performance

Waters stock opened at $310.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The company has a market cap of $18.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.95. Waters has a fifty-two week low of $231.90 and a fifty-two week high of $367.21. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $305.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $320.66.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $636.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $635.57 million. Waters had a return on equity of 66.59% and a net margin of 20.75%. Waters’s quarterly revenue was down 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.49 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Waters will post 11.83 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Waters

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

Institutional Trading of Waters

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers Inc. ID boosted its stake in Waters by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers Inc. ID now owns 11,469 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,776,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $430,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its stake in Waters by 0.3% in the second quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 13,087 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,797,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Eads & Heald Wealth Management raised its position in Waters by 5.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

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.