Amundi Reduces Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Amundi trimmed its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 280,441 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 19,508 shares during the period. Amundi owned 0.47% of Waters worth $104,941,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 235.7% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 129.3% in 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 in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 0.6 %

WAT opened at $390.52 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $391.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $369.52. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $279.24 and a twelve month high of $423.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.46, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. Equities research analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. Bank of America decreased their price target 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 increased their price target on shares of Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $391.07.

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.