Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Bought by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 438.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 303,076 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 246,738 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.51% of Waters worth $112,435,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 235.7% in the fourth 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 period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on WAT shares. Baird R W upgraded shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. KeyCorp raised Waters from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $395.38.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE WAT traded down $0.20 on Friday, hitting $320.90. 430,177 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 474,768. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.09 billion, a PE ratio of 29.96, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $279.24 and a 1-year high of $423.56. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $360.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $371.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

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

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.