Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $388.64.

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective 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. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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. Finally, Cfra set a $389.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, October 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waters

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in Waters during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in Waters by 235.7% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in Waters by 129.3% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $407.61 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $24.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.89, a P/E/G ratio of 7.37 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 2.02. Waters has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $389.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $363.11.

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.