Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Receives $390.19 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy 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 $390.19.

Several analysts have commented on WAT shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 7th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Baird R W raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th.

Waters Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $340.82 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $20.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.81. The company has a fifty day moving average of $343.65 and a 200 day moving average of $367.30. Waters has a fifty-two week low of $279.24 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Waters had a return on equity of 41.70% and a net margin of 22.02%. The firm had revenue of $661.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $655.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.21 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waters will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently 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.