Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Purchased by Robeco Schweiz AG

Robeco Schweiz AG boosted its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 30.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 185,460 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 42,937 shares during the quarter. Waters comprises about 1.5% of Robeco Schweiz AG’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Robeco Schweiz AG owned approximately 0.31% of Waters worth $64,733,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 112.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter worth $350,000. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 134.0% in the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 13,951 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,142,000 after buying an additional 7,989 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. boosted its position in Waters by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 11,652 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,295,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 42.8% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,031 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $749,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $377.23 on Tuesday. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $423.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $22.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.01, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $325.04 and a 200-day moving average of $326.28.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Waters had a return on equity of 38.60% and a net margin of 21.71%.The firm had revenue of $608.55 million for the quarter. As a group, analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 price target on Waters and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Waters from $315.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.