Principal Financial Group Inc. Buys 72,515 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 11.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 728,534 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 72,515 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 1.23% of Waters worth $270,272,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in Waters during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in Waters by 235.7% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. boosted its position in shares of Waters by 63.2% during the 3rd quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 186 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of Waters stock traded down $6.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $374.24. 272,138 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 452,951. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $279.24 and a 12 month high of $423.56. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $388.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $365.60. 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 company has a market capitalization of $22.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.01.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Waters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, UBS Group raised 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. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $390.40.

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.