Waters (NYSE:WAT) Shares Gap Up to $299.23

Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $299.23, but opened at $309.99. Waters shares last traded at $308.34, with a volume of 54,170 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on WAT. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $298.67.

Waters Trading Up 4.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $335.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $306.34. The stock has a market cap of $18.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 0.92.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.56 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $819.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $815.50 million. Waters had a net margin of 21.72% and a return on equity of 81.30%. The business’s revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.84 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waters

In other news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total value of $177,770.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $799,965. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in Waters by 55.3% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 118 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently 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.