Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Bought by Focus Partners Wealth

Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,942 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 165 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Wealth’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,677,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 54.3% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $351.35 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $347.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $370.64. 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. The firm has a market cap of $20.91 billion, a PE ratio of 32.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. The business had revenue of $661.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $655.50 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WAT shares. Bank of America reduced their target price on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Baird R W raised shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Waters from $355.00 to $374.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. KeyCorp upgraded Waters from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $460.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $390.19.

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.