Tikehau Investment Management Has $2.63 Million Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Tikehau Investment Management reduced its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 58.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,083 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 9,945 shares during the period. Waters comprises approximately 3.3% of Tikehau Investment Management's holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Tikehau Investment Management's holdings in Waters were worth $2,628,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at $104,000. Barclays PLC grew its position in Waters by 34.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 159,995 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $57,579,000 after acquiring an additional 41,339 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in Waters by 25.2% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,433 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $908,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter worth about $100,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,998 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,439,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT traded up $6.28 during trading on Thursday, reaching $341.14. 434,684 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 475,363. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The company has a 50 day moving average of $357.31 and a 200-day moving average of $370.56. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $279.24 and a 12 month high of $423.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share 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 analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on WAT shares. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Baird R W raised Waters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Waters from $407.00 to $355.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $392.13.

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.