4,296 Shares in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Purchased by EFG Asset Management North America Corp.

EFG Asset Management North America Corp. acquired a new position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 4,296 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,247,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WAT. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers Inc. ID increased its holdings in Waters by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers Inc. ID now owns 11,469 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,776,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 2.9% in the first quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $430,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Waters by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $446,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its position in Waters by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 13,087 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,797,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Eads & Heald Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Waters by 5.9% during the first quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 681 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the subject of several research reports. Leerink Partnrs raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Waters to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Waters from $325.00 to $363.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Waters from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $310.58.

Waters Price Performance

WAT traded down $3.52 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $338.90. 73,935 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 437,748. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $311.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $323.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.83 and a beta of 0.95. Waters Co. has a one year low of $231.90 and a one year high of $367.21.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $709.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $700.09 million. Waters had a return on equity of 56.81% and a net margin of 20.71%. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.6 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Waters

In other news, Director Richard H. Fearon acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $332.90 per share, for a total transaction of $332,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $550,283.70. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.82% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Waters

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.