Vontobel Holding Ltd. Cuts Stock Position in Waters Corporation $WAT

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lessened its holdings in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 11.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,091 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 139 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Waters were worth $381,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WAT. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Waters by 118.9% during the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 81 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Waters during the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Steph & Co. acquired a new stake in Waters during the 2nd quarter valued at $73,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $333.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $19.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Waters Corporation has a 1-year low of $275.05 and a 1-year high of $423.56. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $302.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $323.46.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $608.55 million during the quarter. Waters had a net margin of 21.71% and a return on equity of 38.60%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Waters from $370.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $377.56.

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.