Sivik Global Healthcare LLC Boosts Holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)

Sivik Global Healthcare LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 21.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the quarter. Waters accounts for about 3.4% of Sivik Global Healthcare LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC's holdings in Waters were worth $6,266,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. GAM Holding AG bought a new stake in Waters during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,282,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in Waters by 2.7% during the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 6,950 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,561,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Waters by 85.7% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,642 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $605,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares during the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Waters by 9.4% during the first quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 663 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $244,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in Waters by 4.1% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,813 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,774,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:WAT traded up $3.13 on Friday, hitting $342.49. The company had a trading volume of 926,234 shares, compared to its average volume of 472,855. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $344.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $366.48. Waters Corporation has a 1 year low of $279.24 and a 1 year high of $423.56. 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 market capitalization of $20.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.11.

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, topping the consensus estimate 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 last year, the company posted $2.21 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Baird R W raised shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Waters and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. KeyCorp raised shares of Waters from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.