Waters Corporation $WAT Holdings Increased by Nuance Investments LLC

Nuance Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 598.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 146,886 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 125,854 shares during the quarter. Waters makes up approximately 4.5% of Nuance Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Nuance Investments LLC owned approximately 0.25% of Waters worth $44,038,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in Waters by 225.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,551,010 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $465,008,000 after buying an additional 1,074,449 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in shares of Waters by 31.0% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,021,358 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,403,615,000 after acquiring an additional 950,687 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 44.3% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,689,693 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $806,397,000 after purchasing an additional 825,723 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the second quarter valued at approximately $266,384,000. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP bought a new position in Waters in the third quarter worth approximately $175,320,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WAT shares. William Blair assumed coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, January 5th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Guggenheim started coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $440.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $399.12.

Waters Stock Up 1.3%

NYSE:WAT opened at $381.95 on Monday. Waters Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $275.05 and a fifty-two week high of $415.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.53. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $387.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $347.31.

Waters Profile

Waters Corporation is a global provider of analytical instruments, software and services for laboratory and research applications. The company designs, manufactures and sells technologies centered on liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, separation science, and related sample preparation and detection systems. Its product portfolio includes chromatographs, mass spectrometers, columns and consumables, laboratory informatics and workflow software, as well as technical support and training services that help customers run and interpret complex analyses.

Waters serves a wide range of end markets that include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract research and testing laboratories, academic and government research institutions, clinical diagnostics, food and environmental testing, and industrial and chemical manufacturers.