Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. Takes $33,000 Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 114 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $33,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new position in Waters during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Waters by 190.2% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its holdings in Waters by 19,900.0% during the second quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waters in the second quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Waters to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays lifted their price target on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $318.50.

Waters Price Performance

WAT opened at $336.56 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $329.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $324.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.96 billion, a PE ratio of 33.03, a P/E/G ratio of 5.70 and a beta of 0.95. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $231.90 and a 52 week high of $367.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 2.10.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 56.81% and a net margin of 20.71%. The business had revenue of $709.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $700.09 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.80 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 11.6 earnings per share for the current year.

About Waters

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.