Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Grows Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 307.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 287,316 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 216,825 shares during the period. Waters comprises approximately 0.8% of Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. owned about 0.48% of Waters worth $100,285,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WAT. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Waters by 112.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at about $350,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 134.0% during the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 13,951 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,142,000 after buying an additional 7,989 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 42.8% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $749,000 after buying an additional 609 shares during the period. Finally, Securian Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Waters by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,261 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,202,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $386.37 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $326.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $326.62. The firm has a market cap of $23.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.11. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $423.56. 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 (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business 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, research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Waters from $345.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $390.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. 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.com, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $381.57.

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.