Brokerages Set Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Target Price at $395.38

Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine investment 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 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $392.13.

WAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 target price on shares of Waters and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com downgraded Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th.

Waters Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE WAT traded down $2.74 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $337.96. 252,623 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 475,445. 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 1-year low of $279.24 and a 1-year high of $423.56. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $355.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $370.45. The company has a market cap of $20.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth $104,000. Barclays PLC increased its stake 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 in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Waters by 25.2% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,433 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $908,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Waters during the third quarter valued at about $100,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.9% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,998 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,439,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. 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.