Hsbc Holdings PLC Increases Stock Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 218,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 7,964 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.37% of Waters worth $81,083,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the third quarter worth $104,000. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Waters by 34.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 159,995 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $57,579,000 after acquiring an additional 41,339 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $100,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 0.9% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,998 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,439,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Waters by 74.5% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 70,507 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $25,189,000 after purchasing an additional 30,101 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WAT shares. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Waters from $407.00 to $355.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 target price on Waters and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $392.13.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT traded down $2.74 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $337.96. 252,623 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 475,445. The company has a market cap of $20.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04. 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 company's 50-day moving average price is $355.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $370.45. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. On average, 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.