Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $25.51 Million Stock Holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 11.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 69,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 7,355 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.12% of Waters worth $25,510,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA boosted its position in Waters by 1.0% during the first quarter. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA now owns 3,155 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,163,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in Waters by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 744 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Claret Asset Management Corp boosted its position in Waters by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Claret Asset Management Corp now owns 1,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $409,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC boosted its position in Waters by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 1,734 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $643,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, MainStreet Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. MainStreet Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,381 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Price Performance

Waters stock traded up $4.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $302.62. 1,039,137 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 587,339. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $339.25 and a 200 day moving average of $358.68. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $279.61 and a 1-year high of $423.56. The company has a market capitalization of $18.01 billion, a PE ratio of 27.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.10.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Waters had a return on equity of 41.70% and a net margin of 22.02%. The firm had revenue of $661.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $655.50 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.21 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Waters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. Scotiabank reissued a "sector outperform" rating and issued a $465.00 price objective on shares of Waters in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price objective on Waters and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut Waters from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $420.00 to $330.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $381.94.

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.