Cerity Partners LLC Acquires 807 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,349 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 807 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,925,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the second quarter worth $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 190.2% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waters by 19,900.0% during the 2nd quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $386.81 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $279.24 and a 1-year high of $395.44. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $359.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $333.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.91, a P/E/G ratio of 7.04 and a beta of 1.01.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $740.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $712.99 million. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.84 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 11.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $355.00 to $415.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Cfra set a $389.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $365.85.

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.