Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Purchases 1,261 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,649 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 1,261 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned about 0.05% of Waters worth $11,741,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Waters by 70.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 656,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $236,095,000 after purchasing an additional 271,804 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at $42,114,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $40,404,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Waters by 37.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 305,661 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $110,005,000 after buying an additional 82,865 shares in 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 buying an additional 68,509 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT traded up $11.95 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $376.39. 199,964 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 438,794. The company has a market cap of $22.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.14, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The company's 50-day moving average price is $391.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $369.80. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $423.56.

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

Waters Company 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.