United Advisor Group LLC Buys Shares of 884 Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

United Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 884 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $328,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 3.0% in the fourth 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 during the period. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. lifted 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 valued at $3,565,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Waters by 9.6% in the fourth 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. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted 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 valued at $199,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in Waters by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 744 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT traded down $6.65 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $348.65. 869,104 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 476,326. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.94. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $279.24 and a 12-month high of $423.56. The company has a market cap of $20.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $342.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $369.32.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $661.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $655.50 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.21 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Scotiabank raised Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. 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. Finally, Baird R W raised Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $390.19.

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.