108,911 Shares in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Purchased by Raymond James Financial Inc.

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 108,911 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $40,404,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.18% of Waters as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Waters during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 129.3% in the fourth 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. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Stock Down 2.5 %

NYSE:WAT traded down $9.19 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $363.94. The company had a trading volume of 425,247 shares, compared to its average volume of 439,740. Waters Co. has a 1 year low of $279.24 and a 1 year high of $423.56. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $391.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $369.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.98, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays raised shares of Waters from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.