Gilbert & Cook Inc. Buys New Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Gilbert & Cook Inc. purchased a new position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 591 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $219,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. grew its position in Waters by 63.2% during the 3rd quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 186 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WAT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group raised 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. Cfra set a $389.00 price objective on Waters in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $384.71.

Waters Stock Up 3.2 %

WAT stock opened at $417.25 on Friday. Waters Co. has a one year low of $279.24 and a one year high of $423.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 2.02. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $386.11 and its 200 day moving average is $357.31. The firm has a market cap of $24.78 billion, a PE ratio of 39.81, a P/E/G ratio of 7.25 and a beta of 1.01.

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