Barclays PLC Purchases 41,339 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 34.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 159,995 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 41,339 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.27% of Waters worth $57,579,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Waters by 96.8% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 868 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $252,000 after acquiring an additional 427 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its stake in shares of Waters by 8.6% in the second quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 26,234 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $7,611,000 after buying an additional 2,086 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Waters by 21.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 448,304 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $130,053,000 after buying an additional 77,951 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new position in Waters in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,944,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in Waters by 310.2% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,635 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,596,000 after buying an additional 3,505 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE WAT traded down $4.65 on Friday, reaching $378.38. The company had a trading volume of 307,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 439,973. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.90, a P/E/G ratio of 7.05 and a beta of 1.01. The company's fifty day moving average is $365.52 and its 200 day moving average is $335.79. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $397.02.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $740.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $712.99 million. Waters had a net margin of 21.43% and a return on equity of 49.93%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.84 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 11.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Cfra set a $389.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Waters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $415.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $375.85.

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.