Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC Invests $2.58 Million in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC bought a new position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 6,949 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $2,578,000. Waters accounts for about 2.5% of Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WAT. CWM LLC boosted its position in Waters by 9.1% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,181 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $425,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in Waters during the third quarter valued at about $225,000. Procyon Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waters during the third quarter valued at about $238,000. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in Waters by 6.6% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 31,288 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $11,260,000 after buying an additional 1,929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Waters by 1.4% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,782 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT traded up $7.00 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $376.73. 590,243 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 460,108. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $389.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $365.09. The firm has a market cap of $22.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.37 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. 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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.43% and a return on equity of 49.93%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 11.79 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Waters from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $430.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $390.40.

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.