Curat Global LLC Invests $80,000 in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Curat Global LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $80,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 106,144.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 3,087,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,145,386,000 after purchasing an additional 3,084,555 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $284,415,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 50,228.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 662,320 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $244,111,000 after acquiring an additional 661,004 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Waters by 3,349.7% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 304,404 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $112,928,000 after acquiring an additional 295,580 shares during the period. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $104,645,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Up 1.4%

WAT stock opened at $351.25 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $341.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $368.90. The company has a market cap of $20.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.94. Waters Co. has a fifty-two week low of $279.24 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. The company had revenue of $661.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $655.50 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.21 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.