Waters (NYSE:WAT) Price Target Raised to $420.00

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its target price lifted by Wells Fargo & Company from $415.00 to $420.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on WAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group raised their price target on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $390.40.

Waters Stock Performance

Waters stock opened at $379.45 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $22.53 billion, a PE ratio of 36.21, a PEG ratio of 7.37 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Waters has a 1 year low of $279.24 and a 1 year high of $423.56. The company’s 50-day moving average is $390.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $363.96.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.43% and a return on equity of 49.93%. Equities analysts anticipate that Waters will post 11.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Advisory Alpha LLC lifted its position in Waters by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $395,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 2.4% in the third quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $431,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Waters by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 966 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,610 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,565,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 3.8% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 851 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.