Natixis Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 10.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 173,037 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,423 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.29% of Waters worth $63,776,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA grew its holdings in Waters by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA now owns 3,155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,163,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 658 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 744 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Claret Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Claret Asset Management Corp now owns 1,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $409,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC increased its position in Waters by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 1,734 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $643,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of WAT opened at $299.27 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.81 billion, a PE ratio of 27.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $334.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $356.62. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $279.61 and a 1 year high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $661.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $655.50 million. Waters had a net margin of 22.02% and a return on equity of 41.70%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.21 EPS. Analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WAT shares. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Wells Fargo & Company cut Waters from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $420.00 to $330.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price target on Waters and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Barclays lowered their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $381.94.

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.