Waters (NYSE:WAT) Upgraded at Baird R W

Baird R W upgraded shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

WAT has been the subject of several other reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird raised Waters from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $396.00 to $407.00 in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Waters currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.40.

Waters Stock Down 2.4 %

Waters stock opened at $361.61 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $387.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $372.29. Waters has a 12 month low of $279.24 and a 12 month high of $423.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.48 billion, a PE ratio of 33.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 235.7% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 129.3% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

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.