Waters (NYSE:WAT) Price Target Raised to $360.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its price objective increased by Stifel Nicolaus from $332.00 to $360.00 in a research note published on Monday,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on WAT. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Waters to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $355.00 to $415.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $365.85.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $386.17 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $345.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $327.56. Waters has a fifty-two week low of $246.35 and a fifty-two week high of $393.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company has a market cap of $22.93 billion, a PE ratio of 36.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.07 and a beta of 0.97.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $740.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $712.99 million. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.84 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Waters will post 11.79 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Waters in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Waters by 190.2% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Waters by 19,900.0% during the 2nd quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. 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.