Waters (NYSE:WAT) Rating Increased to Outperform at Robert W. Baird

Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research report report published on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $407.00 price objective on the medical instruments supplier’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $396.00.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on WAT. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays upgraded shares of Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $397.40.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT stock opened at $361.61 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Waters has a 1 year low of $279.24 and a 1 year high of $423.56. The company has a market cap of $21.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $387.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $372.29.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Waters will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WAT. Pathstone Holdings LLC boosted its position in Waters by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 3,916 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,409,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 1,340 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $482,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in Waters by 17.8% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,349 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,925,000 after purchasing an additional 807 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its position in Waters by 6.6% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 31,288 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $11,260,000 after acquiring an additional 1,929 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 59.7% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 503 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $181,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.