O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 29.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,469 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 1,253 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC's holdings in Waters were worth $2,029,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WAT. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 1.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 81,653 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,386,000 after acquiring an additional 934 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $229,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in Waters by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 2,578 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $928,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,747 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $989,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at $256,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.
Waters Stock Down 8.5 %
Waters stock traded down $28.58 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $307.94. The stock had a trading volume of 177,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 471,713. The company has a market capitalization of $18.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.81, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $372.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $372.68. Waters Co. has a one year low of $279.24 and a one year high of $423.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65.
Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. On average, analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Waters from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $430.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Waters from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $396.00 to $407.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. 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 research report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $397.25.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Waters
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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