Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Bought by Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lifted its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 71.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,015 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 1,257 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund's holdings in Waters were worth $1,119,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in Waters during the third quarter worth $33,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 235.7% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. grew its position in Waters by 63.2% during the third quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 186 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of WAT stock traded down $6.57 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $374.24. 272,138 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 452,951. The stock's 50 day moving average is $388.93 and its 200-day moving average is $365.29. The company has a market cap of $22.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Waters Co. has a fifty-two week low of $279.24 and a fifty-two 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. Analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Waters from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $430.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $390.40.

Waters Profile

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.