Mackenzie Financial Corp Buys 18,959 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 11.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 191,502 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 18,959 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp owned 0.32% of Waters worth $63,048,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Waters by 10.2% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 6,977 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,165,000 after acquiring an additional 645 shares during the period. Group One Trading L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 1st quarter valued at about $135,000. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its stake in shares of Waters by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 8,167 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,535,000 after buying an additional 506 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Waters by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 294,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $91,287,000 after buying an additional 4,656 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential PLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 39.4% in the 1st quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 4,626 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,436,000 after buying an additional 1,308 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Down 3.0 %

WAT stock traded down $9.54 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $304.18. 614,561 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 403,723. Waters Co. has a fifty-two week low of $231.90 and a fifty-two week high of $363.80. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $337.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $305.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The stock has a market cap of $18.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.04, a P/E/G ratio of 6.36 and a beta of 0.92.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.56 by $0.06. Waters had a net margin of 21.72% and a return on equity of 81.30%. The firm had revenue of $819.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $815.50 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.84 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Linda Baddour sold 500 shares of Waters stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.54, for a total value of $177,770.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $799,965. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.77% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on WAT. Barclays raised their target price on Waters from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Waters from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Waters from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $298.67.

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.