Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA Has $3.14 Million Position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)

Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA reduced its position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 11.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,527 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,085 shares during the period. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA's holdings in Waters were worth $3,141,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 3,084,555 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $284,415,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 50,228.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 662,320 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $244,111,000 after purchasing an additional 661,004 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Waters by 3,349.7% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 304,404 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $112,928,000 after purchasing an additional 295,580 shares during the period. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth $104,645,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT traded down $1.70 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $350.22. 251,699 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 471,262. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 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 company's 50-day simple moving average is $348.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $364.39. Waters Corporation has a twelve month low of $279.24 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 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $655.50 million. Waters had a return on equity of 41.70% and a net margin of 22.02%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.21 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several 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 report on Wednesday, April 16th. Baird R W raised Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 7th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Ten research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.