Aviso Financial Inc. Raises Stock Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Aviso Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 20.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,451 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 941 shares during the period. Aviso Financial Inc.'s holdings in Waters were worth $2,022,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted 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 valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 54.3% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WAT shares. Barclays upgraded Waters from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $391.07.

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Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT traded up $3.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $381.99. 484,915 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 437,494. The stock has a market cap of $22.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $391.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $370.72. Waters Co. has a 1 year low of $279.24 and a 1 year 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

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.