Robert W. Baird Issues Positive Forecast for Waters (NYSE:WAT) Stock Price

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its target price hoisted by Robert W. Baird from $355.00 to $374.00 in a report released on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. KeyCorp raised shares of Waters from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $460.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Waters and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Baird R W raised shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $390.19.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $344.99 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $350.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $369.80. Waters has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56. The company has a market capitalization of $20.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.21, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $661.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $655.50 million. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.21 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Waters will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the first quarter worth $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Waters by 118.9% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 81 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in Waters by 235.7% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.