GAMMA Investing LLC Buys 661,004 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 50,228.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 662,320 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 661,004 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned about 1.11% of Waters worth $244,111,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 39.2% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,624 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,715,000 after buying an additional 1,301 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 112.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the period. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $204,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Waters by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 353 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Waters by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 6,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,226,000 after buying an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT stock traded down $5.72 on Monday, reaching $343.52. 374,902 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 475,917. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $279.24 and a 12 month high of $423.56. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $342.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $369.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.44 billion, a PE ratio of 32.07, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $661.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $655.50 million. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. The company's revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.21 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on WAT. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. KeyCorp raised shares of Waters from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $460.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price target on shares of Waters and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $390.19.

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.