Waters (NYSE:WAT) Price Target Raised to $330.00 at Barclays

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price objective upped by Barclays from $300.00 to $330.00 in a report issued on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

WAT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $380.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Leerink Partners raised Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $325.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. TD Cowen raised their target price on Waters from $325.00 to $363.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $342.58.

Waters Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:WAT opened at $348.45 on Tuesday. Waters has a 12-month low of $231.90 and a 12-month high of $367.21. The firm has a market cap of $20.68 billion, a PE ratio of 34.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.02 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $342.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $325.17.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 56.81% and a net margin of 20.71%. The business had revenue of $709.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $700.09 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.80 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Waters will post 11.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WAT. Linscomb Wealth Inc. raised its position in Waters by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 7,841 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,275,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in Waters by 3.2% in the second quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,084 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 3.0% in the second quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,170 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $339,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 0.3% during the second quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 13,087 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,797,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Waters by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,782 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.