Waters (NYSE:WAT) Given a $315.00 Price Target at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft has reduced its price target for Waters (NYSE:WAT) from $375.00 to $315.00, maintaining a "hold" rating.
• Waters' stock has seen multiple downgrades from various analysts, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $378.73.
• Shares of Waters have declined to $282.54, down 1.1%, with significant trading volume recorded.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) received a $315.00 target price from research analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft in a research report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a "hold" rating on the medical instruments supplier's stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft's price objective points to a potential upside of 13.31% from the stock's current price.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on WAT. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Waters from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $420.00 to $330.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 price target on shares of Waters and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price target on shares of Waters and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $378.73.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT traded down $3.19 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $278.00. 942,699 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,266,693. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $329.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $353.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Waters has a fifty-two week low of $276.00 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.55 billion, a PE ratio of 25.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.04.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.02. Waters had a return on equity of 38.60% and a net margin of 21.71%. The firm had revenue of $771.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $745.96 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.63 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 13.1% during the 2nd quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 327 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Waters by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,509 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $7,170,000 after acquiring an additional 1,331 shares during the period. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $393,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in Waters by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,511 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $527,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Company Profile

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.