BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Has $21.11 Million Stake in Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT reduced its stake in Waters Corporation by 20.6%, now holding approximately $21.11 million worth of shares.
• Waters Corporation reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $2.95, exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.93 during its latest quarterly earnings.
• The stock currently has an average target price of $378.73 from analysts, with a mix of hold, buy, and outperform ratings.

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. reduced its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 20.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 57,281 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 14,866 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned about 0.10% of Waters worth $21,112,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WAT. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Waters by 50,228.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 662,320 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $244,111,000 after buying an additional 661,004 shares during the period. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd increased its position in Waters by 676.8% during the first quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 705,733 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $260,112,000 after acquiring an additional 614,877 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in Waters by 3,349.7% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 304,404 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $112,928,000 after purchasing an additional 295,580 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Waters by 93.3% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 572,823 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $211,125,000 after buying an additional 276,433 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at about $94,028,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE WAT opened at $291.63 on Monday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $319.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $345.68. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $275.05 and a one year high of $423.56. The firm has a market cap of $17.36 billion, a PE ratio of 26.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.22.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.02. Waters had a return on equity of 38.60% and a net margin of 21.71%. The company had revenue of $771.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $745.96 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.63 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $315.00 price objective on Waters and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector outperform" rating and set a $465.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a report on Friday, July 11th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 target price on shares of Waters and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $378.73.

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.

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