Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Acquires 4,941 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 139,081 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,941 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $48,545,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Waters during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Steph & Co. acquired a new stake in Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at about $73,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WAT. Redburn Partners set a $390.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 target price on shares of Waters and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of Waters to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Waters in a research report 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 data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $376.80.

Waters Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of WAT opened at $352.47 on Tuesday. Waters Corporation has a 12 month low of $275.05 and a 12 month high of $423.56. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $312.82 and its 200-day moving average is $323.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.98 billion, a PE ratio of 31.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced 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 company had revenue of $608.55 million for the quarter. Equities research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

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.