Millennium Management LLC Has $112.93 Million Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 3,349.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 304,404 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 295,580 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC owned 0.51% of Waters worth $112,928,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Waters during 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 purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Waters by 54.3% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on WAT. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com lowered Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $390.19.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT traded up $7.78 on Friday, hitting $359.38. 364,333 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 477,733. The firm has a market cap of $21.39 billion, a PE ratio of 33.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $279.24 and a twelve month high of $423.56. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $346.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $370.88. 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 (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. The company had revenue of $661.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $655.50 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.21 earnings per share. Waters's revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.