Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE:MTD) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE:MTD) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1,380.50.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MTD shares. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,450.00 to $1,475.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Mettler-Toledo International in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Citigroup reduced their target price on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,450.00 to $1,400.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,350.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,362.00 to $1,369.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th.

Mettler-Toledo International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MTD opened at $1,216.92 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,295.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,320.34. Mettler-Toledo International has a 1-year low of $1,142.91 and a 1-year high of $1,546.93. The company has a market cap of $25.45 billion, a PE ratio of 30.03, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.15.

Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $12.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $11.76 by $0.65. Mettler-Toledo International had a negative return on equity of 591.54% and a net margin of 22.29%. Analysts anticipate that Mettler-Toledo International will post 42.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Gerry Keller sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,351.34, for a total value of $810,804.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6 shares in the company, valued at $8,108.04. This trade represents a 99.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Christian Magloth sold 790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,313.69, for a total value of $1,037,815.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $964,248.46. This represents a 51.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Mettler-Toledo International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Mettler-Toledo International during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Mettler-Toledo International during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in Mettler-Toledo International during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Mettler-Toledo International by 70.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 41 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Mettler-Toledo International during the 4th quarter worth about $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.07% of the company’s stock.

About Mettler-Toledo International

Mettler-Toledo International Inc manufactures and supplies precision instruments and services in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It operates through five segments: U.S. Operations, Swiss Operations, Western European Operations, Chinese Operations, and Other. The company’s laboratory instruments include laboratory balances, liquid pipetting solutions, automated laboratory reactors, real-time analytics, titrators, pH meters, process analytics sensors and analyzer technologies, physical value analyzers, density and refractometry, thermal analysis systems, and other analytical instruments; and LabX, a laboratory software platform to manage and analyze data generated from its instruments.