Guardian Partners Inc. Buys Shares of 2,225 Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Guardian Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,225 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $833,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 235.7% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Waters by 129.3% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 54.3% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $63,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WAT shares. UBS Group raised their target price on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays raised shares of Waters from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Waters from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $430.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $391.07.

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Waters Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of WAT stock traded down $5.09 on Tuesday, hitting $368.21. The stock had a trading volume of 456,859 shares, compared to its average volume of 440,544. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $279.24 and a 12-month high of $423.56. The stock has a market cap of $21.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50 day moving average of $389.56 and a 200 day moving average of $372.13. 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. As a group, analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

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.