Waters (NYSE:WAT) Price Target Raised to $415.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Waters (NYSE:WAT) had its target price hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $380.00 to $415.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Leerink Partners upgraded shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $325.00 to $375.00 in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Waters to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $365.85.

Waters Stock Down 0.1 %

WAT stock opened at $386.17 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $345.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $327.56. Waters has a 12 month low of $246.35 and a 12 month high of $393.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.93 billion, a PE ratio of 36.85, a P/E/G ratio of 7.50 and a beta of 0.97.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its 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. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The firm had revenue of $740.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $712.99 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.84 EPS. Waters’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Waters will post 11.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 190.2% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Waters by 19,900.0% during the second quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.