Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Stock Holdings Lifted by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 6.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,691 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,013 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $5,647,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,879,316 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,368,067,000 after acquiring an additional 41,654 shares in the last quarter. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd now owns 1,110,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $382,404,000 after acquiring an additional 11,851 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 652,892 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $189,417,000 after acquiring an additional 51,853 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 21.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 448,304 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $130,053,000 after acquiring an additional 77,951 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 443,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $152,664,000 after acquiring an additional 18,274 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Down 0.5 %

Waters stock opened at $352.51 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $338.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $324.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market cap of $20.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.16 and a beta of 0.95. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $231.90 and a 12 month high of $367.21.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 56.81% and a net margin of 20.71%. The firm had revenue of $709.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $700.09 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.80 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.6 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays increased their target price on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Waters in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $380.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Waters from $325.00 to $363.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $327.00.

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.