Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) is Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s 2nd Largest Position

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI decreased its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 106,304 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,297 shares during the period. Waters comprises about 3.2% of Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings in Waters were worth $39,437,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in Waters by 235.7% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake 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 worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WAT shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Scotiabank raised Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $391.07.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $392.34 on Friday. 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 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56. The company has a market cap of $23.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.63, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $390.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $368.92.

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%. Research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

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.