Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Bought by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 10.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,502 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 927 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Waters in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Waters by 190.2% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. boosted 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 period. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waters in the second quarter worth $59,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WAT. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Waters from $325.00 to $363.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Waters from $330.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Leerink Partners upgraded Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $325.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $318.50.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock opened at $355.73 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $332.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $324.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.12 billion, a PE ratio of 34.91, a P/E/G ratio of 5.96 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Waters Co. has a one year low of $231.90 and a one year high of $367.21.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 56.81%. The firm had revenue of $709.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $700.09 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.80 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.6 earnings per share for the current 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.