Waters Corporation $WAT Stock Position Boosted by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. raised its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,187 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,462 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Waters were worth $13,753,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Pilgrim Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the second quarter worth $466,131,171,000. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the second quarter valued at $3,182,191,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the second quarter valued at $623,921,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 69.2% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,373,150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $514,986,000 after purchasing an additional 561,824 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Waters in the second quarter worth about $188,725,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $477.12 on Tuesday. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $282.77 and a twelve month high of $482.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 204.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $435.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $372.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.00 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.75 billion. Waters had a return on equity of 9.91% and a net margin of 1.75%. The business’s revenue was up 120.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.40 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 14.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on WAT shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Waters from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $515.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $440.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $430.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $475.48.

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation develops and supplies analytical instruments, software, and consumables used to identify, measure, and characterize chemical and biological materials. Its products include liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry systems, which help customers analyze complex samples.

The company serves pharmaceutical and biotechnology businesses, academic and government laboratories, and customers in fields such as food, environmental testing, and materials science. Waters operates internationally, with customers and operations across multiple regions.

Founded in 1958 by James L.