Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $384.3333.

WAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Redburn Partners set a $390.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $315.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 price target on shares of Waters and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th.

Waters Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of WAT opened at $398.51 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $354.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $331.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Waters has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $423.56. The company has a market cap of $23.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.16.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter valued at $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Waters by 115.4% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.