Schroder Investment Management Group lessened its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 19.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,353 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 794 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group's holdings in Waters were worth $1,244,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Waters by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 81,653 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,386,000 after acquiring an additional 934 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Waters during the third quarter worth approximately $229,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in Waters by 13.2% during the third 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 during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in Waters by 4.4% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,747 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $989,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new position in Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $256,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.
Waters Stock Up 3.4 %
WAT traded up $10.78 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $325.44. 612,020 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 476,259. Waters Co. has a 1 year low of $279.24 and a 1 year high of $423.56. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $19.33 billion, a PE ratio of 30.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $368.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $372.37.
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 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Waters from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $396.00 to $407.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. KeyCorp raised Waters from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $460.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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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