Waters (NYSE:WAT) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, January 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Waters in a report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 price target for the company. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on Waters in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $460.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $398.61.

Waters Price Performance

WAT opened at $379.45 on Friday. Waters has a 1 year low of $275.05 and a 1 year high of $417.10. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $390.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $344.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.60 billion, a PE ratio of 34.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.53.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $799.89 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $780.05 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.89% and a return on equity of 36.59%. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.93 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in Waters in the third quarter worth $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Waters by 115.4% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Waters by 65.4% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 134 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Waters

Waters Corporation is a global provider of analytical instruments, software and services for laboratory and research applications. The company designs, manufactures and sells technologies centered on liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, separation science, and related sample preparation and detection systems. Its product portfolio includes chromatographs, mass spectrometers, columns and consumables, laboratory informatics and workflow software, as well as technical support and training services that help customers run and interpret complex analyses.

Waters serves a wide range of end markets that include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract research and testing laboratories, academic and government research institutions, clinical diagnostics, food and environmental testing, and industrial and chemical manufacturers.