Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board cut its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 50.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,565 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 4,648 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board's holdings in Waters were worth $1,694,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake 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 worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 129.3% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WAT shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Scotiabank raised Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Waters from $407.00 to $355.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America cut their price objective on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $392.13.

Waters Stock Down 0.8 %

WAT stock traded down $2.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $337.96. The company had a trading volume of 252,623 shares, compared to its average volume of 475,445. Waters Co. has a fifty-two week low of $279.24 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56. The company has a market capitalization of $20.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $355.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $370.45.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. Analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.