GAMMA Investing LLC Increases Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 48.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,316 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 427 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in Waters during the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Waters by 669.2% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new stake in Waters during the second quarter worth about $59,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock opened at $371.76 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.07 billion, a PE ratio of 35.47, a P/E/G ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $372.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $343.47. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $397.02.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WAT. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Waters from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Scotiabank began coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $430.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $379.71.

Waters 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.