Waters (NYSE:WAT) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Monday morning.

WAT has been the topic of several other research reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $390.40.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT opened at $377.30 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $388.97 and its 200-day moving average is $365.18. The stock has a market cap of $22.40 billion, a PE ratio of 35.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Waters has a twelve month low of $279.24 and a twelve month high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. On average, analysts predict that Waters will post 12.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC increased its position in Waters by 34.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 159,995 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $57,579,000 after purchasing an additional 41,339 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its position in Waters by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,704 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $632,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in Waters by 71.9% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 140,992 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $50,742,000 after purchasing an additional 58,983 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in Waters by 13.2% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 2,578 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $928,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 12,874 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,776,000 after acquiring an additional 782 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.