GAM Holding AG Acquires Shares of 3,479 Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)

GAM Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 3,479 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $1,282,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 129.3% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 5,200.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 106 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 54.3% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. Baird R W upgraded shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Waters from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $460.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $390.19.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of Waters stock traded up $3.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $342.49. The company's stock had a trading volume of 926,234 shares, compared to its average volume of 470,525. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $344.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $366.30. Waters Corporation has a one year low of $279.24 and a one year high of $423.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market cap of $20.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.11.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $655.50 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.21 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Waters 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.