By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Private Advisor Group LLC cut its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT – Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 171 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,047,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WAT. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in Waters by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,479 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund boosted its position in Waters by 71.5% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 3,015 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,119,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257 shares during the period. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors acquired a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $2,909,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Waters by 174.0% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,496 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 1,585 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Waters Stock Performance
WAT opened at $381.31 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market cap of $22.64 billion, a PE ratio of 35.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $389.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $366.82. Waters Co. has a fifty-two week low of $279.24 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56.
Waters (NYSE:WAT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
WAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $390.40.
View Our Latest Analysis on WAT
About Waters
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.
Further Reading
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