Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. (NYSE:MTD) Stock Rated “Hold” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. (NYSE:MTD) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,459.54.

Several brokerages have weighed in on MTD. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,225.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings raised Mettler-Toledo International from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,400.00 to $1,580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group began coverage on Mettler-Toledo International in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,460.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Mettler-Toledo International in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $1,515.00 price objective for the company.

Mettler-Toledo International Stock Performance

NYSE MTD opened at $1,527.52 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 159.45. The company has a market capitalization of $30.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.19. Mettler-Toledo International has a 12-month low of $1,023.05 and a 12-month high of $1,585.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,422.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,299.94.

Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $11.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.78 by $0.68. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. Mettler-Toledo International had a net margin of 21.91% and a negative return on equity of 1,212.14%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $10.09 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Mettler-Toledo International will post 47.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Gerry Keller sold 240 shares of Mettler-Toledo International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,427.14, for a total value of $342,513.60. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $369,629.26. This trade represents a 48.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Thomas P. Salice sold 417 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,440.41, for a total transaction of $600,650.97. Following the transaction, the director owned 292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $420,599.72. This represents a 58.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 4,254 shares of company stock valued at $6,092,712 over the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mettler-Toledo International

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. XXEC Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mettler-Toledo International during the 2nd quarter worth $77,044,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Mettler-Toledo International in the second quarter valued at about $2,404,713,000. Capital International Investors grew its position in Mettler-Toledo International by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 969,067 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,351,064,000 after acquiring an additional 109,508 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Mettler-Toledo International by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 691,565 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $964,174,000 after acquiring an additional 3,157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Mettler-Toledo International during the second quarter worth about $762,553,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.07% of the company’s stock.

Mettler-Toledo International Company Profile

Mettler-Toledo International Inc is a global manufacturer of precision instruments and related services used in laboratory, industrial, food processing, pharmaceutical and retail applications. The company’s solutions help customers measure, analyze, inspect and control materials and products throughout research, manufacturing and distribution processes.

Its product portfolio includes laboratory balances and scales, analytical instruments, automated chemistry systems, titrators, density and refractometry equipment, process analytics, industrial weighing systems, product inspection technologies and retail weighing and labeling solutions.