Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Bought by GHP Investment Advisors Inc.

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 23,818 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $8,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swedbank AB grew its holdings 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 last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 28,018 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 4.6% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,101,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in Waters during the first quarter worth about $1,244,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Up 2.1%

WAT opened at $350.17 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $423.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $316.74 and its 200-day moving average is $324.55. The company has a market capitalization of $20.84 billion, a PE ratio of 31.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.04.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 EPS 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on WAT. Redburn Partners set a $390.00 target price on Waters in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Waters from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Two research 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. According to MarketBeat, Waters has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $376.80.

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.