Buffington Mohr McNeal Invests $284,000 in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)

Buffington Mohr McNeal bought a new stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $284,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 106,144.4% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 3,087,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,145,386,000 after purchasing an additional 3,084,555 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $284,415,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 661,004 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 3,349.7% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 304,404 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $112,928,000 after buying an additional 295,580 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $104,645,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Stock Down 1.5%

WAT stock opened at $351.76 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.81. The company has a market capitalization of $20.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.10. The business's 50 day moving average price is $348.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $364.55. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $279.24 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays lowered their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Waters from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 31st. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Baird R W raised Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $388.00.

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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