Analysts Set Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE:MTD) Target Price at $1,351.25

Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE:MTD) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nine brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,351.25.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MTD. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Mettler-Toledo International from $1,550.00 to $1,450.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup upgraded Mettler-Toledo International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $1,200.00 to $1,300.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,400.00 to $1,350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Mettler-Toledo International in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Mettler-Toledo International from $1,375.00 to $1,310.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th.

Mettler-Toledo International Price Performance

MTD opened at $1,295.77 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,241.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,343.99. The firm has a market cap of $27.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.94, a PEG ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 1.12. Mettler-Toledo International has a 1 year low of $1,133.46 and a 1 year high of $1,546.93.

Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $10.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.00 by $0.21. Mettler-Toledo International had a net margin of 21.15% and a negative return on equity of 531.78%. The firm had revenue of $954.54 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $941.93 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mettler-Toledo International will post 40.42 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Gerry Keller sold 140 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,254.09, for a total value of $175,572.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6 shares in the company, valued at $7,524.54. The trade was a 95.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Elisha W. Finney sold 76 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,311.75, for a total value of $99,693.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $314,820. This represents a 24.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Mettler-Toledo International by 242.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 24 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mettler-Toledo International in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Mettler-Toledo International in the 2nd quarter worth $42,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Mettler-Toledo International by 272.7% during the third quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in Mettler-Toledo International by 60.0% during the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 48 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. 95.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mettler-Toledo International Company Profile

Mettler-Toledo International Inc manufactures and supplies precision instruments and services in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It operates through five segments: U.S. Operations, Swiss Operations, Western European Operations, Chinese Operations, and Other. The company’s laboratory instruments include laboratory balances, liquid pipetting solutions, automated laboratory reactors, real-time analytics, titrators, pH meters, process analytics sensors and analyzer technologies, physical value analyzers, density and refractometry, thermal analysis systems, and other analytical instruments; and LabX, a laboratory software platform to manage and analyze data generated from its instruments.