Waters (NYSE:WAT) Reaches New 12-Month Low at $253.29

Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT – Get Rating) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $253.29 and last traded at $253.48, with a volume of 101482 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $265.92.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Waters from $350.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $315.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Waters from $350.00 to $315.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $335.27.

Waters Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $293.09 and its 200 day moving average is $318.24. The firm has a market cap of $15.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.85.

Waters (NYSE:WAT – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.60 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $684.67 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $697.86 million. Waters had a return on equity of 149.31% and a net margin of 23.22%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.80 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 12.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other news, Director Mark P. Vergnano bought 3,185 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 28th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $313.32 per share, for a total transaction of $997,924.20. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,557 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,114,479.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.98% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in Waters by 192.3% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 76 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new position in Waters during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. VitalStone Financial LLC bought a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Waters during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Waters by 76.7% during the fourth quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 106 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.58% of the company’s stock.

Waters Company Profile

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Waters Corp. engages in the provision of workflow solutions involving liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis. It operates through the Waters and TA (TA Instruments) segments. The Waters segment consists of liquid chromatography instruments, mass spectrometry, and precision chemistry consumable products and services.