282,076 Shares in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Purchased by Madison Investment Advisors LLC

Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 282,076 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $104,645,000. Waters comprises about 1.2% of Madison Investment Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Madison Investment Advisors LLC owned about 0.48% of Waters as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in 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 lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 129.3% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 54.3% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays raised shares of Waters from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Scotiabank raised Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and increased their price target for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven equities 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $391.07.

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Waters Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $372.92 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $391.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $369.80. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $279.24 and a 12 month high of $423.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $22.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.82, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00.

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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.

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