4,445 Shares in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Purchased by Avanza Fonder AB

Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,445 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,649,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake 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 worth $35,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the second quarter valued at $59,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $403.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The company has a market capitalization of $23.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.54, a P/E/G ratio of 6.66 and a beta of 1.01. The business’s 50-day moving average is $378.42 and its 200-day moving average is $350.18. Waters Co. has a fifty-two week low of $279.24 and a fifty-two week high of $411.58.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. 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 report on Friday, January 10th. 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. Bank of America increased their price objective on Waters from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.