Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Purchases 4,941 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 139,081 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,941 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of Waters worth $48,545,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Swedbank AB grew its stake in shares of Waters by 25.8% in the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 40,526 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,145,000 after purchasing an additional 8,305 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 530,697 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $195,599,000 after purchasing an additional 28,018 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Waters by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,101,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,244,000. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its stake in shares of Waters by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 22,933 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,005,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WAT shares. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Waters from $374.00 to $352.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 target price on Waters and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Waters currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $376.80.

Waters Stock Down 2.0%

NYSE:WAT opened at $352.47 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $312.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $323.95. Waters Corporation has a 52-week low of $275.05 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.75. The company has a market cap of $20.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.04.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 19th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $608.55 million for the quarter. Waters had a return on equity of 38.60% and a net margin of 21.71%. On average, analysts anticipate that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS 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.