Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $365.85.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Waters to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st.

Waters Stock Up 1.3 %

WAT opened at $373.47 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $354.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $331.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.38. Waters has a one year low of $273.60 and a one year high of $393.38.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $740.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $712.99 million. Waters had a net margin of 21.43% and a return on equity of 49.93%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.84 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Waters will post 11.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WAT. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in Waters in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Waters in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Waters by 190.2% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 119 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its holdings in Waters by 19,900.0% in the second quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.