Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Buys 14,200 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 127.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 25,380 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 14,200 shares during the period. 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 have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Waters by 54.3% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT traded down $10.55 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $371.61. The stock had a trading volume of 458,669 shares, compared to its average volume of 476,299. The firm has a market cap of $22.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.70, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $391.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $370.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56.

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Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Waters from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $430.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. 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, the company 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.