Waters (NYSE:WAT) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

Waters (NYSE:WAT) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on WAT. Barclays raised Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group increased their price target on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $390.40.

Waters Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:WAT opened at $385.54 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The business’s 50 day moving average is $389.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $366.95. Waters has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56. The company has a market cap of $22.89 billion, a PE ratio of 36.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.01.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. On average, analysts predict that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 34.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 159,995 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $57,579,000 after purchasing an additional 41,339 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,704 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $632,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 71.9% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 140,992 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $50,742,000 after purchasing an additional 58,983 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in shares of Waters by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 2,578 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $928,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in shares of Waters by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 421,691 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $156,439,000 after purchasing an additional 27,801 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.