Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Purchased by Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH

Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH raised its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 8,167.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 51,590 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 50,966 shares during the quarter. Waters comprises about 0.7% of Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH owned approximately 0.09% of Waters worth $19,139,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 129.3% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 54.3% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WAT. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on 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 price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Ten 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $390.19.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT stock traded down $6.65 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $348.65. 869,104 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 480,811. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $343.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $369.69. The firm has a market cap of $20.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.55, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $279.24 and a 1-year 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.

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

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.