Eos Management L.P. Increases Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)

Eos Management L.P. raised its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 40.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,164 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,374 shares during the quarter. Waters makes up approximately 2.5% of Eos Management L.P.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Eos Management L.P.’s holdings in Waters were worth $5,589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC increased its position 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 worth $749,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. increased its holdings in Waters by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 11,652 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,295,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 134.0% during the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 13,951 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,142,000 after purchasing an additional 7,989 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at about $350,000. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 34.6% in the 1st quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 76,166 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,259,000 after buying an additional 19,590 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $352.92 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $349.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $363.60. The stock has a market cap of $21.00 billion, a PE ratio of 32.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $297.14 and a 52-week high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $661.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $655.50 million. Waters had a return on equity of 41.70% and a net margin of 22.02%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.21 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 target price on shares of Waters and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $388.94.

About Waters

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.