Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 757 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $281,000.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WAT. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 106,144.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 3,087,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,145,386,000 after purchasing an additional 3,084,555 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $284,415,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $104,645,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Waters by 70.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 656,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $236,095,000 after acquiring an additional 271,804 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Waters by 438.0% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 303,076 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $112,435,000 after acquiring an additional 246,738 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Waters Price Performance
WAT opened at $343.73 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $349.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $369.86. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.45 billion, a PE ratio of 32.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14. 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 (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $661.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $655.50 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.21 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
WAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 target price on shares of Waters and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $360.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com cut Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. 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 company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $390.19.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on WAT
Waters Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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