Natixis Advisors LLC Raises Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 11.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 156,614 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 15,622 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.26% of Waters worth $58,101,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in Waters by 235.7% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Waters by 129.3% in 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 last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 54.3% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter worth $63,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Waters stock traded up $1.49 on Tuesday, reaching $380.41. The company had a trading volume of 307,183 shares, compared to its average volume of 472,741. 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 market cap of $22.60 billion, a PE ratio of 35.52, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $391.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $370.72. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $423.56.

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Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WAT shares. Barclays upgraded shares of Waters from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their target price for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price 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. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $391.07.

About Waters

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.