Waters (NYSE:WAT) PT Lowered to $312.00 at Robert W. Baird

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price objective decreased by Robert W. Baird from $319.00 to $312.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has a neutral rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on WAT. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Waters from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Waters has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $306.70.

Waters Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of WAT stock opened at $323.80 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $332.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $310.85. 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 company has a market capitalization of $19.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.84, a PEG ratio of 6.39 and a beta of 0.98.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.11. Waters had a return on equity of 81.30% and a net margin of 21.72%. The business had revenue of $636.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $635.57 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Waters will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other 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 transaction of $177,770.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at $799,965. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new stake in Waters in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Waters in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Waters in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.