Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Purchased by Toronto Dominion Bank

Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 48.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 12,634 shares during the quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank owned 0.07% of Waters worth $14,443,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Waters by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 966 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in Waters by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,610 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,565,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Waters by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 353 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Waters by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 537 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $199,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 744 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $276,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:WAT traded down $6.65 during trading on Friday, reaching $348.65. The stock had a trading volume of 869,104 shares, compared to its average volume of 480,811. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $343.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $369.69. Waters Co. has a one year low of $279.24 and a one year high of $423.56. The company has a market capitalization of $20.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.55, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. KeyCorp raised shares of Waters from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $460.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Baird R W raised shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.