Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) Shares Bought by Natixis Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Waters Corporation by 10.5%, owning approximately 0.29% of the company, worth $63.8 million.
• Waters Corporation reported $2.25 earnings per share for the most recent quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations and showing a 3.9% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• Institutional investors collectively hold 94.01% of Waters' stock, with various hedge funds adjusting their positions during the first quarter.

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 10.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 173,037 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 16,423 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.29% of Waters worth $63,776,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Waters by 85.7% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,642 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $605,000 after acquiring an additional 758 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Waters by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,101,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in Waters by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,813 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,774,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in Waters during the first quarter worth about $75,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 169.1% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,619 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $4,283,000 after acquiring an additional 7,301 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT traded up $2.01 on Friday, reaching $290.77. The stock had a trading volume of 1,201,345 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,116,492. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.30 billion, a PE ratio of 26.39, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $332.57 and a 200 day moving average of $355.08. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $279.61 and a twelve month high of $423.56.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WAT. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price target on Waters and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays lowered 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 report on Thursday, April 10th. Scotiabank restated a "sector outperform" rating and set a $465.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $382.40.

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.