Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Purchases Shares of 3,441 Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise has invested approximately $1.27 million in Waters Corporation by purchasing 3,441 shares during the first quarter, as reported in a recent SEC filing.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Waters, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $381.94, while various brokerages have set target prices ranging from $350.00 to $465.00.
• Waters reported a net margin of 22.02% and revenue of $661.71 million for the latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and marking a 3.9% year-over-year increase.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,441 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $1,268,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings 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 valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 5,200.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 106 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WAT shares. Barclays dropped their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company cut Waters from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $420.00 to $330.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated a "sector outperform" rating and set a $465.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $382.40.

Waters Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of Waters stock traded up $2.01 on Friday, hitting $290.77. 1,201,345 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,116,492. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $332.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $355.08. 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 12-month low of $279.61 and a 12-month high of $423.56. The company has a market cap of $17.30 billion, a PE ratio of 26.39, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.10.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $661.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $655.50 million. Waters had a net margin of 22.02% and a return on equity of 41.70%. Waters's revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.21 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

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.