Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Bought by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 19.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,531 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $939,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $297,000. Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. increased its stake in shares of Waters by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. now owns 12,043 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,468,000 after acquiring an additional 875 shares during the period. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $111,000. Wedmont Private Capital acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on WAT shares. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Waters in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $430.00 price target on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $355.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $384.71.

Waters Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $403.85 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $378.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $351.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.66 and a beta of 1.01. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $279.24 and a 12-month high of $411.58. 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 (NYSE:WAT) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $740.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $712.99 million. Waters had a net margin of 21.43% and a return on equity of 49.93%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.84 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 11.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.