LGT Group Foundation Has $17.21 Million Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

LGT Group Foundation grew its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 14.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 59,334 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 7,606 shares during the quarter. LGT Group Foundation owned approximately 0.10% of Waters worth $17,214,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Foguth Wealth Management LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,773,000. Meridian Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $2,637,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at about $962,000. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH grew its position in shares of Waters by 2,134.3% in the first quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH now owns 5,921 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,038,000 after purchasing an additional 5,656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Waters by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 357,257 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $117,620,000 after purchasing an additional 13,093 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Waters stock traded up $3.83 on Monday, hitting $332.67. 22,588 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 428,321. Waters Co. has a one year low of $231.90 and a one year high of $367.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The company has a fifty day moving average of $321.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $324.79. The company has a market capitalization of $19.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $709.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $700.09 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 56.81%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.80 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 11.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Waters in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Waters in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $380.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Waters to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $318.50.

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.