Waters Corporation $WAT Shares Sold by GAM Holding AG

GAM Holding AG cut its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 4.9% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 3,310 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 169 shares during the period. GAM Holding AG’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,155,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 118.9% during the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 81 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its position in Waters by 533.3% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on WAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Waters from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a “sector outperform” rating and set a $465.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Friday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $390.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $376.80.

Waters Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $350.17 on Friday. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $423.56. The company has a market capitalization of $20.84 billion, a PE ratio of 31.58, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a 50 day moving average of $316.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $324.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

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

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.