Wealthfront Advisers LLC Acquires 3,084,555 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 106,144.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,087,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 3,084,555 shares during the period. Waters comprises 0.9% of Wealthfront Advisers LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Wealthfront Advisers LLC owned about 5.20% of Waters worth $1,145,386,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp raised its position in Waters by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,577,733 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $927,700,000 after purchasing an additional 49,194 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Waters by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,416,683 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $508,123,000 after purchasing an additional 16,703 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in Waters by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 885,593 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $318,717,000 after purchasing an additional 6,256 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Waters by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 728,534 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $270,272,000 after purchasing an additional 72,515 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its position in Waters by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 714,155 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $264,937,000 after purchasing an additional 68,509 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $390.52 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $23.20 billion, a PE ratio of 36.46, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. 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 1-year low of $279.24 and a 1-year high of $423.56. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $391.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $369.52.

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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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. Research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Waters from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $430.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $391.07.

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.

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