Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Has $314,000 Stock Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 3.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,084 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $314,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $206,286,000. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 215.7% in the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 425,219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $139,995,000 after buying an additional 290,511 shares in the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 148.6% in the fourth quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 259,691 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $85,498,000 after buying an additional 155,235 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,837,662 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,251,163,000 after purchasing an additional 64,525 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Waters by 8.6% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 652,892 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $189,417,000 after buying an additional 51,853 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Up 1.2 %

WAT opened at $325.86 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $325.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $324.71. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $231.90 and a 1-year high of $367.21. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.34 billion, a PE ratio of 31.98, a PEG ratio of 5.59 and a beta of 0.95.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 20.71% and a return on equity of 56.81%. The business had revenue of $709.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $700.09 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 11.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on WAT. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Waters to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Leerink Partners upgraded shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $325.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Waters in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $380.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $318.50.

Waters 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.