Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $392.1875.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on Waters in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Waters from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $480.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th.

Waters Stock Up 0.4%

WAT stock opened at $386.50 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $378.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $335.81. Waters has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.52, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.16.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $608.55 million for the quarter. Waters had a net margin of 20.89% and a return on equity of 36.59%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. AIA Group Ltd purchased a new position in Waters in the third quarter valued at about $1,149,000. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $19,489,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Waters by 42.1% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 260 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its stake in shares of Waters by 28.2% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 17,218 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,162,000 after buying an additional 3,789 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Waters by 54.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 332,447 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,675,000 after buying an additional 117,098 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.