Advisory Alpha LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Advisory Alpha LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,065 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 27 shares during the quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $395,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Waters in the third quarter worth $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 235.7% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the second quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 63.2% in the third quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 186 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $408.40 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $24.25 billion, a PE ratio of 38.97, a PEG ratio of 7.24 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s fifty day moving average is $379.89 and its 200 day moving average is $352.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 2.02 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 $416.24.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $740.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $712.99 million. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. Waters’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.84 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 11.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $355.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Scotiabank began coverage on Waters in a report on Monday, December 23rd. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $430.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Cfra set a $389.00 price objective on Waters in a report on Thursday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Waters currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $384.71.

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.