Peak Financial Advisors LLC Takes Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Peak Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 8,292 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $3,056,000. Waters comprises 1.6% of Peak Financial Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 129.3% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Waters by 5,200.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 106 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America dropped their price target on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. 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 Friday, May 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price target on shares of Waters and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, KeyCorp raised Waters from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Waters presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $390.19.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT traded down $7.06 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $346.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 383,368 shares, compared to its average volume of 474,419. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $279.24 and a 1-year high of $423.56. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $341.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $368.92. The stock has a market cap of $20.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.32, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $661.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $655.50 million. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. Waters's quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.21 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.