30,649 Shares in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Bought by Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 30,649 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $11,030,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC owned 0.05% of Waters as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WAT. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,631,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its position in Waters by 0.5% during the third quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 10,868 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,912,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 1.7% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 3,916 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank grew its position in shares of Waters by 0.4% in the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 176,100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $63,377,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 71.9% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 140,992 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $50,742,000 after purchasing an additional 58,983 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of WAT stock opened at $368.00 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $353.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $331.57. The firm has a market cap of $21.85 billion, a PE ratio of 35.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.31 and a beta of 0.97. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $273.60 and a 1-year high of $393.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.25. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The business had revenue of $740.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $712.99 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.84 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.79 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Waters to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $365.85.

Waters Company 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.