Securian Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 6.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,061 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Swedbank AB lifted its position in shares of Waters by 25.8% during the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 40,526 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,145,000 after purchasing an additional 8,305 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 530,697 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $195,599,000 after purchasing an additional 28,018 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,101,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Waters in the first quarter valued at $1,244,000. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its position in Waters by 7.0% in the second quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 22,933 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,005,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Redburn Partners set a $390.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated a “sector outperform” rating and set a $465.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $376.80.

Waters Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $355.83 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $21.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.04. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $310.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $323.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $608.55 million for the quarter. Waters had a net margin of 21.71% and a return on equity of 38.60%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

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.