Aquatic Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 2,808 Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,808 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $1,042,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at about $853,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Waters by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,123 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,159,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $371,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its position in Waters by 19.8% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,018 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $378,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at $20,576,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Price Performance

NYSE:WAT traded up $0.32 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $350.77. 362,666 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 475,348. The company has a market cap of $20.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04. Waters Co. has a 1 year low of $279.24 and a 1 year high of $423.56. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $352.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $370.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WAT. UBS Group upped their price target on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Waters and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $392.13.

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.