UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Boosts Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 502,679 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 25,535 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $186,484,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Waverly Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 2,356 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $874,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter worth $227,000. WBI Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 327.9% during the fourth quarter. WBI Investments LLC now owns 4,129 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,532,000 after purchasing an additional 3,164 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in shares of Waters by 35.4% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 111,261 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $41,276,000 after purchasing an additional 29,097 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,708,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Waters stock opened at $348.01 on Friday. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $345.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $370.83. The firm has a market cap of $20.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. The company had revenue of $661.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $655.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.21 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price target on shares of Waters and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Baird R W raised shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $390.19.

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.