Amundi Sells 19,508 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Amundi trimmed its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 280,441 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 19,508 shares during the period. Amundi owned about 0.47% of Waters worth $104,941,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 537 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $199,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Arjuna Capital acquired a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $447,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 22,041 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $8,177,000 after purchasing an additional 4,983 shares during the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $305,000. Finally, E Fund Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Waters by 56.1% during the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 996 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $369,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. 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 research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays upgraded Waters from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research 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.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $391.07.

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Waters Stock Performance

Waters stock traded down $1.39 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $371.75. 88,884 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 437,910. The firm has a market cap of $22.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.80, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $391.20 and a 200 day moving average of $369.80.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (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, research analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Waters 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.