GSA Capital Partners LLP Buys 2,245 Shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)

Key Points

• GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its stake in Waters Corporation by 297.4% in the first quarter, now holding 3,000 shares valued at approximately $1.1 million.
• The stock has received mixed ratings from analysts, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $381.94.
• Waters Corporation reported earnings exceeding expectations with $2.25 earnings per share for the recent quarter, along with a revenue increase of 3.9% year-over-year.

GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 297.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 2,245 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP's holdings in Waters were worth $1,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in shares of Waters by 475.2% during the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,553 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $572,000 after purchasing an additional 1,283 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 23.4% during the 1st quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 25,133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $9,263,000 after buying an additional 4,769 shares during the period. one8zero8 LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. one8zero8 LLC now owns 4,257 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,569,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in shares of Waters by 5.5% during the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 33,396 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $12,309,000 after buying an additional 1,747 shares during the period. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $765,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Trading Up 0.7%

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

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. The business 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 business's revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.21 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Waters and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Scotiabank reiterated a "sector outperform" rating and issued a $465.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research note on Friday, July 11th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $382.40.

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.