Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Bought by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 8.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 33,976 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,730 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned about 0.06% of Waters worth $12,604,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 129.3% in the fourth 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. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Down 2.4 %

WAT opened at $361.61 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $387.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $372.29. The firm has a market cap of $21.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its 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 net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. On average, research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $397.40.

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.