Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Purchased by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 432,530 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,461 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $150,970,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swedbank AB grew its stake in shares of Waters by 25.8% in the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 40,526 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,145,000 after purchasing an additional 8,305 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in 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 worth $195,599,000 after purchasing an additional 28,018 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Waters by 12.6% in the 2nd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 8,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,800,000 after buying an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its stake in Waters by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 22,933 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,005,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth about $1,244,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $407.53 on Thursday. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $423.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.26 billion, a PE ratio of 36.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $346.20 and its 200-day moving average is $330.09.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Redburn Partners set a $390.00 price target on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 target price on Waters and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $381.57.

Waters 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.