Pinebridge Investments L.P. Has $4.43 Million Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Pinebridge Investments L.P. increased its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 624.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,928 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 10,281 shares during the quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P.'s holdings in Waters were worth $4,425,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 235.7% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 129.3% during the 4th 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. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT traded down $5.85 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $341.88. The stock had a trading volume of 184,588 shares, compared to its average volume of 474,372. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $20.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $353.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $370.09. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Waters from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $392.13.

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.