Fenimore Asset Management Inc Acquires 713 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Fenimore Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 233,477 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 713 shares during the period. Waters comprises 1.8% of Fenimore Asset Management Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Fenimore Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Waters were worth $86,615,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Waters in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased 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 valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. raised its position in shares of Waters by 63.2% during the third quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 186 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $72,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $410.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $24.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.21, a PEG ratio of 7.17 and a beta of 1.01. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $416.24. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $381.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $354.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 2.02.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on WAT. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $384.71.

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.