Candriam S.C.A. Raises Stock Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Candriam S.C.A. raised its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,694 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,988,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in Waters by 25.8% during the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 40,526 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,145,000 after acquiring an additional 8,305 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 5.6% in the first 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 purchasing an additional 28,018 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 12.6% in the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 8,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,800,000 after purchasing an additional 896 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,244,000. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its stake in Waters by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 22,933 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $8,005,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on WAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Waters from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Waters from $345.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Waters from $315.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 price target on Waters and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $381.57.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $379.85 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $22.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.25, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $331.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $327.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.