Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Receives $301.20 Average PT from Analysts

Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a hold rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $301.20.

Several brokerages have commented on WAT. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Waters from $350.00 to $358.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Waters from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 28th.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock opened at $310.29 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $18.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.45, a P/E/G ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.95. Waters has a 1 year low of $231.90 and a 1 year high of $367.21. 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 50 day simple moving average of $305.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $320.66.

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

Insider Activity at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,716 shares in the company, valued at $5,321,894.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Richard H. Fearon bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost 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 $550,283.70. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Christopher A. Kuebler sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.64, for a total value of $1,446,560.00. Following the completion of 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

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the second quarter valued at about $1,247,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its position in Waters by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 1,308 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $379,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at about $90,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Waters by 18.1% during the 2nd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,397 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its stake in shares of Waters by 0.3% in the second quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 13,087 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,797,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 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.