Wealthfront Advisers LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation $WAT

Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 40.9% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,547 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,610 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,936,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Waters by 118.9% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 81 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Steph & Co. purchased a new position in Waters during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $73,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Scotiabank reaffirmed a “sector outperform” rating and issued a $465.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Friday, July 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 target price on shares of Waters and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 price target on Waters and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $390.00 price objective on Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $376.80.

Waters Price Performance

NYSE:WAT opened at $342.74 on Friday. 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 Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $423.56. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $315.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $324.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.40 billion, a PE 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 (EPS) for the quarter. Waters had a return on equity of 38.60% and a net margin of 21.71%.The company had revenue of $608.55 million for the quarter. As a group, equities analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS 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.