Brokerages Set Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Target Price at $392.19

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $392.1875.

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

Waters Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $383.78 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 twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $423.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.85 billion, a PE ratio of 35.27, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $380.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $336.28.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $608.55 million during the quarter. Waters had a return on equity of 36.59% and a net margin of 20.89%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the third quarter worth $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position 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 valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 65.4% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 134 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in Waters during the 2nd quarter worth about $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Company Profile

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.