Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Advisory Services Network LLC

Advisory Services Network LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 763 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 53 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $283,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WAT. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter worth $104,000. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 34.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 159,995 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $57,579,000 after purchasing an additional 41,339 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 25.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,433 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $908,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $100,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 0.9% during the third 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 during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $320.90 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $19.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04. The company’s fifty day moving average is $360.29 and its 200-day moving average is $371.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $279.24 and a 12 month high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted 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%. Equities analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. KeyCorp raised Waters from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $460.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Scotiabank raised Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price target on Waters and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Baird R W upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $395.38.

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.