Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Stake Boosted by Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI grew its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 107,601 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,407 shares during the period. Waters makes up about 3.1% of Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings in Waters were worth $38,725,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Linscomb Wealth Inc. increased its stake in Waters by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 7,841 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,275,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 3.2% in the second quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,084 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 3.0% in the second quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,170 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.3% during the second quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 13,087 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,797,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its position in Waters by 1.4% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,782 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,001,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Waters from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $380.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Waters to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $355.00 to $415.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $342.58.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $348.45 on Friday. 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 12-month low of $231.90 and a 12-month high of $367.21. The business’s 50 day moving average is $342.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $325.07. The company has a market capitalization of $20.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.71, a P/E/G ratio of 6.85 and a beta of 0.95.

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

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.