Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 10.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 95,929 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 9,223 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.16% of Waters worth $35,663,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisory Alpha LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $395,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Waters by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 966 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in Waters by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,610 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,565,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Waters by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 353 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Waters by 6.8% in the fourth 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of analysts have recently commented on WAT shares. Barclays upgraded shares of Waters from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird raised Waters from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $396.00 to $407.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. UBS Group upped their price target 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. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $401.31.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Waters
Waters Stock Down 3.6 %
WAT traded down $13.14 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $355.43. The stock had a trading volume of 560,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 455,183. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $386.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $373.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.94. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $279.24 and a twelve month high of $423.56. The company has a market capitalization of $21.12 billion, a PE ratio of 33.19, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00.
Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.
Waters Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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