Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $392.1875.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Waters from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th.

Waters Stock Up 0.4%

Waters stock opened at $386.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Waters has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $423.56. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $378.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $335.81. The company 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter. Waters had a net margin of 20.89% and a return on equity of 36.59%. The firm had revenue of $608.55 million for the quarter. Sell-side analysts forecast that Waters will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Waters by 112.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $471,000 after buying an additional 673 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the first quarter worth $130,000. Ieq Capital LLC increased its position in Waters by 160.3% during the first quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 4,772 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,759,000 after acquiring an additional 2,939 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in Waters by 21.3% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 132,610 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $48,876,000 after acquiring an additional 23,296 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in Waters by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 85,595 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $31,546,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

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.