Waters (NYSE:WAT) Now Covered by Guggenheim

Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $440.00 target price on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

WAT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Waters from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $480.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. William Blair assumed coverage on Waters in a report on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $395.00.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $401.50 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $383.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $337.89. Waters has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter. Waters had a return on equity of 36.59% and a net margin of 20.89%.The firm had revenue of $608.55 million during the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Waters will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Waters

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Waters by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,055 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $368,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its stake in shares of Waters by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 359 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.9% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in Waters by 5.9% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 630 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $189,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Penserra Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 13.1% in the second quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 327 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Waters

Waters Corporation is a global provider of analytical instruments, software and services for laboratory and research applications. The company designs, manufactures and sells technologies centered on liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, separation science, and related sample preparation and detection systems. Its product portfolio includes chromatographs, mass spectrometers, columns and consumables, laboratory informatics and workflow software, as well as technical support and training services that help customers run and interpret complex analyses.

Waters serves a wide range of end markets that include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract research and testing laboratories, academic and government research institutions, clinical diagnostics, food and environmental testing, and industrial and chemical manufacturers.