Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. (NYSE:MTD) Stock Has Average Price Target of $1,446.36

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is mixed: Sixteen firms have a consensus “Hold” rating on Mettler-Toledo International, with six buys, nine holds and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $1,446.36, below the stock’s recent $1,480.01 opening price.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Mettler-Toledo reported adjusted earnings of $11.46 per share, beating estimates of $10.78, while revenue reached $1.03 billion and increased 4.5% year over year.
• Insiders have been selling shares: Company insiders sold 4,254 shares worth approximately $6.1 million over the past three months, while institutional investors continue to hold a dominant 95.07% of the company’s stock.

Shares of Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. (NYSE:MTD - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1,446.36.

A number of research firms have commented on MTD. Barclays boosted their price objective on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,300.00 to $1,575.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Mettler-Toledo International from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,400.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Mettler-Toledo International from $1,225.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on shares of Mettler-Toledo International in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They set a "sell" rating and a $1,200.00 price objective on the stock.

Mettler-Toledo International Price Performance

NYSE:MTD opened at $1,480.01 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 159.45, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Mettler-Toledo International has a one year low of $1,023.05 and a one year high of $1,554.83. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,406.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,288.48. The stock has a market cap of $29.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.31, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.18.

Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $11.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $10.78 by $0.68. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. Mettler-Toledo International had a negative return on equity of 1,212.14% and a net margin of 21.91%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $10.09 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Mettler-Toledo International will post 47.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Gerry Keller sold 240 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,427.14, for a total value of $342,513.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $369,629.26. The trade was a 48.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas P. Salice sold 417 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,440.41, for a total transaction of $600,650.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 292 shares of the company's stock, valued at $420,599.72. This trade represents a 58.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 4,254 shares of company stock valued at $6,092,712 in the last three months. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Mettler-Toledo International

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MTD. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super bought a new position in shares of Mettler-Toledo International during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,372,000. National Pension Service grew its holdings in Mettler-Toledo International by 7.9% during the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 39,696 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $50,712,000 after purchasing an additional 2,916 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Mettler-Toledo International by 377.3% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,181 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $5,272,000 after buying an additional 3,305 shares during the last quarter. SEB Asset Management AB bought a new stake in shares of Mettler-Toledo International in the first quarter valued at $15,889,000. Finally, United Capital Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mettler-Toledo International in the second quarter valued at $1,281,000. Institutional investors own 95.07% of the company's stock.

Mettler-Toledo International Company Profile

Mettler-Toledo International Inc is a global manufacturer of precision instruments and related services used in laboratory, industrial, food processing, pharmaceutical and retail applications. The company's solutions help customers measure, analyze, inspect and control materials and products throughout research, manufacturing and distribution processes.

Its product portfolio includes laboratory balances and scales, analytical instruments, automated chemistry systems, titrators, density and refractometry equipment, process analytics, industrial weighing systems, product inspection technologies and retail weighing and labeling solutions.

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