American Century Companies Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

American Century Companies Inc. decreased its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 332,587 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 925 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.56% of Waters worth $123,383,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 235.7% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 129.3% in 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 during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 54.3% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $63,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

Waters stock traded down $4.87 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $368.43. 232,054 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 476,772. Waters Co. has a fifty-two week low of $279.24 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.89 billion, a PE ratio of 34.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $390.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $371.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.94.

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Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. StockNews.com lowered Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays raised Waters from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $391.07.

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.