Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Increases Stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 415,069 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 16,542 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.70% of Waters worth $152,982,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. purchased a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter worth approximately $5,769,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Waters by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,272,252 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,680,334,000 after purchasing an additional 173,584 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the 1st quarter worth $111,000. Argent Trust Co raised its position in Waters by 27.6% in the 1st quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 1,282 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Finally, J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG grew its holdings in Waters by 638.5% in the 1st quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 6,602 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,433,000 after acquiring an additional 5,708 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Scotiabank reiterated a "sector outperform" rating and set a $465.00 target price on shares of Waters in a report on Friday, July 11th. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Ten 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $378.73.

Waters Stock Up 3.9%

Waters stock traded up $11.12 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $296.64. The stock had a trading volume of 623,109 shares, compared to its average volume of 617,035. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.04. Waters Corporation has a 12-month low of $275.05 and a 12-month high of $423.56. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $322.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $348.61.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $771.33 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $745.96 million. Waters had a net margin of 21.71% and a return on equity of 38.60%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.63 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.