US Bancorp DE Purchases 144 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,416 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Waters were worth $896,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 235.7% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at about $63,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $391.07.

Waters Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $392.34 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $390.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $369.14. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. Equities analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

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.