Waters’ (WAT) “Hold (C)” Rating Reiterated at Weiss Ratings

Weiss Ratings restated their hold (c) rating on shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) in a report released on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on WAT. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $377.56.

Waters Stock Up 0.4%

WAT opened at $331.74 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $299.97 and a 200 day moving average of $324.19. The company has a market cap of $19.75 billion, a PE ratio of 29.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.04. Waters has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $423.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter. Waters had a net margin of 21.71% and a return on equity of 38.60%. The company had revenue of $608.55 million during the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the second quarter valued at about $53,000. Hedge funds and other 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.