Waters (NYSE:WAT) PT Raised to $358.00 at TD Cowen

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price target upped by TD Cowen from $350.00 to $358.00 in a research note published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

WAT has been the topic of several other reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $332.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Waters from $319.00 to $312.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an in-line rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $306.70.

Waters Trading Up 3.9 %

Shares of WAT stock traded up $12.62 on Wednesday, hitting $336.42. 430,959 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 420,466. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.22. Waters has a twelve month low of $231.90 and a twelve month high of $363.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $332.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $310.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.95 billion, a PE ratio of 29.84, a PEG ratio of 6.39 and a beta of 0.98.

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. Waters had a net margin of 21.72% and a return on equity of 81.30%. The business had revenue of $636.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $635.57 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.49 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Waters will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other Waters news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total value of $177,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at $799,965. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Waters in the first quarter worth $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 300.0% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.