GAMMA Investing LLC Raises Stock Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 17.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 889 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $320,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Waters during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 190.2% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 19,900.0% during the second quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of Waters stock opened at $352.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $339.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $324.71. Waters Co. has a 1 year low of $231.90 and a 1 year high of $367.21. The stock has a market cap of $20.91 billion, a PE ratio of 34.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.93 and a beta of 0.95.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 56.81%. The firm had revenue of $709.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $700.09 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WAT. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $380.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Waters to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $335.64.

Waters Company 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.