Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 127.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,380 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 14,200 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ's holdings in Waters were worth $9,414,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the third quarter worth $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake 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 worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 54.3% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several brokerages have commented on WAT. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays raised shares of Waters from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $391.07.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Waters
Waters Price Performance
Waters stock traded up $3.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $381.99. 484,915 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 437,324. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $279.24 and a 1-year high of $423.56. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $391.36 and a 200 day moving average of $370.97. The company has a market capitalization of $22.69 billion, a PE ratio of 35.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00.
Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.
Waters Company Profile
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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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