Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Shares Purchased by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 5.5% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 33,396 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,747 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Waters were worth $12,309,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empirical Finance LLC increased its stake in Waters by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $765,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. FourThought Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 658 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 15.7% during the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,115 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Waters by 21.7% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,545 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $569,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in Waters by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,339 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,599,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

Waters stock opened at $303.44 on Wednesday. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $279.61 and a 1 year high of $423.56. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $335.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $357.02. The company has a market cap of $18.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.54, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.81.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $661.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $655.50 million. Waters had a net margin of 22.02% and a return on equity of 41.70%. Waters’s revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.21 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Scotiabank restated a “sector outperform” rating and set a $465.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $381.94.

Waters Company 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.