1,000 Shares in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Acquired by Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC acquired a new position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $371,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,018 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $378,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. bought a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter valued at about $20,576,000. Syon Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $301,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Waters by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 46,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $17,236,000 after purchasing an additional 2,896 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Waters by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 84,139 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $31,215,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Waters stock traded down $2.10 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $348.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 697,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 476,561. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $279.24 and a 12 month high of $423.56. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $351.79 and a 200 day moving average of $370.19. The company has a market capitalization of $20.73 billion, a PE ratio of 32.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. Analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WAT shares. Barclays cut their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. StockNews.com downgraded Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $392.13.

Waters Company 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.