Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Grows Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 2.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,549 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 560 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Waters were worth $8,918,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Waters by 118.9% during the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 81 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Steph & Co. bought a new stake in Waters during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $73,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of WAT opened at $352.47 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $275.05 and a twelve month high of $423.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.78, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.04. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $312.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $323.95.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 EPS for the quarter. Waters had a net margin of 21.71% and a return on equity of 38.60%. The firm had revenue of $608.55 million during the quarter. On average, research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on WAT. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 price target on shares of Waters and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Rothschild Redb raised shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $376.80.

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.