Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $388.64.

WAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $430.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen increased their target price on Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Waters from $380.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Cfra set a $389.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Thursday, October 17th.

Institutional Trading of Waters

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 69.1% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,012 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,739,000 after buying an additional 2,457 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Waters by 96.8% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 868 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $252,000 after purchasing an additional 427 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the second quarter worth $605,000. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 7.0% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 12,092 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,352,000 after purchasing an additional 789 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Waters by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 889 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE WAT opened at $382.45 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Waters has a fifty-two week low of $279.24 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56. The business has a fifty day moving average of $390.16 and a 200-day moving average of $363.86. The stock has a market cap of $22.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.37 and a beta of 1.01.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.43% and a return on equity of 49.93%. As a group, analysts predict that Waters will post 11.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.