Squarepoint Ops LLC Has $27.64 Million Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 33.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 95,252 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,911 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.16% of Waters worth $27,635,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new stake in Waters during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Waters by 190.2% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its position in Waters by 19,900.0% during the 2nd quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Waters to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Waters from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Waters from $330.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Leerink Partnrs raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Waters in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $380.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $318.50.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $340.00 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $331.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $324.10. Waters Co. has a one year low of $231.90 and a one year high of $367.21. The firm has a market cap of $20.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.37, a P/E/G ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.42.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $709.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $700.09 million. Waters had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 56.81%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 11.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.