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

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

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Scotiabank reissued a “sector outperform” rating and issued a $465.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Waters from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Rothschild Redb upgraded Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $376.80.

Waters Stock Up 0.9%

WAT opened at $358.79 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $311.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $323.84. Waters has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $423.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $21.36 billion, a PE ratio of 32.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.04.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $608.55 million for the quarter. Waters had a return on equity of 38.60% and a net margin of 21.71%. As a group, research analysts expect that Waters will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Swedbank AB increased its stake in shares of Waters by 25.8% during the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 40,526 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,145,000 after buying an additional 8,305 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 5.6% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 530,697 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $195,599,000 after acquiring an additional 28,018 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in Waters by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,101,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter worth $1,244,000. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 22,933 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $8,005,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.