National Bank of Canada FI Boosts Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 16.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,234 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 3,987 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI's holdings in Waters were worth $10,474,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of WAT. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in Waters by 235.7% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 129.3% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 54.3% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Waters from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $460.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $397.25.

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Waters Stock Down 8.4 %

Waters stock traded down $28.28 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $308.24. The stock had a trading volume of 223,209 shares, compared to its average volume of 471,852. 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 fifty-two week low of $279.24 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $372.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $372.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.31 billion, a PE ratio of 28.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04.

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, 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS 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.