Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD) Reaches New 52-Week High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Mettler-Toledo shares reached a new 52-week high of $1,552.82 and were recently trading near $1,538.89, above both their 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: six analysts rate the stock a Buy, nine recommend Hold and one rates it Sell. The consensus rating is Hold, with a $1,446.36 price target below the recent trading price.
• The company exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $11.46 in EPS versus $10.78 expected, while revenue rose 4.5% year over year to $1.03 billion. However, insiders sold more than $6.0 million of shares over the past 90 days.

Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. (NYSE:MTD - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $1,552.82 and last traded at $1,538.8860, with a volume of 144004 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,545.26.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on MTD. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on shares of Mettler-Toledo International in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They issued a "sell" rating and a $1,200.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Mettler-Toledo International from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Mettler-Toledo International from $1,275.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,225.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on Mettler-Toledo International in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,460.00 price target on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mettler-Toledo International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,446.36.

Mettler-Toledo International Price Performance

The company's 50-day moving average is $1,398.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,283.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 159.45, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market cap of $30.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.64, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.22.

Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $11.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.78 by $0.68. The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. Mettler-Toledo International had a net margin of 21.91% and a negative return on equity of 1,212.14%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $10.09 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. will post 47.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Mettler-Toledo International news, Director Thomas P. Salice sold 417 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,440.41, for a total transaction of $600,650.97. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 292 shares in the company, valued at $420,599.72. This represents a 58.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Gerry Keller sold 240 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,427.14, for a total value of $342,513.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $369,629.26. This represents a 48.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,254 shares of company stock valued at $6,092,712. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MTD. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mettler-Toledo International in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Mettler-Toledo International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Mettler-Toledo International during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mettler-Toledo International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased its position in Mettler-Toledo International by 45.5% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 32 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.07% of the company's stock.

About Mettler-Toledo International

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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