Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Has $1.17 Million Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 7.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 296 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,168,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Linscomb Wealth Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 7,841 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,275,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in Waters by 3.2% during the second quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,084 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 13,087 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,797,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. now owns 10,819 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,724,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $338.60 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $328.27 and a 200-day moving average of $324.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.42. Waters Co. has a one year low of $231.90 and a one year high of $367.21. The stock has a market cap of $20.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.21, a P/E/G ratio of 5.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $709.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $700.09 million. Waters had a return on equity of 56.81% and a net margin of 20.71%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WAT. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $380.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Waters in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Waters to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Waters from $325.00 to $363.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $318.50.

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.