Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Short Interest Up 24.6% in February

Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,620,000 shares, an increase of 24.6% from the February 13th total of 1,300,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 470,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days. Currently, 2.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Waters Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of WAT traded down $10.55 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $371.61. The stock had a trading volume of 317,984 shares, compared to its average volume of 471,771. The company has a market cap of $22.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $391.36 and a 200 day moving average of $370.97. Waters has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Waters will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on WAT. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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. Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group upped their target price on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Barclays upgraded Waters from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $391.07.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waters

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Waters by 129.3% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

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.