DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main Purchases 27,875 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 4,099.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,555 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 27,875 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main's holdings in Waters were worth $10,593,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Advisory Alpha LLC grew its position in Waters by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $395,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 966 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,610 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,565,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 353 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 537 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $199,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Trading Down 2.0%

Waters stock traded down $7.45 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $359.22. 481,023 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 476,276. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $349.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $370.71. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. The company had revenue of $661.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $655.50 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.21 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on WAT shares. UBS Group reduced their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays cut their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $390.19.

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.