New York Life Investment Management LLC Boosts Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 0.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,916 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $3,112,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on WAT. Rothschild Redb upgraded Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Waters from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 price target on Waters and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $376.80.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $342.74 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $315.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $324.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $423.56. The company has a market cap of $20.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.04.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $608.55 million for the quarter. Waters had a return on equity of 38.60% and a net margin of 21.71%. Analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal 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.