Mather Group LLC. Lowers Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Mather Group LLC. lowered its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,281 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 35 shares during the quarter. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,217,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Waters by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,577,733 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $927,700,000 after buying an additional 49,194 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,416,683 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $508,123,000 after acquiring an additional 16,703 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 885,593 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $318,717,000 after acquiring an additional 6,256 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Waters by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 659,539 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $219,811,000 after purchasing an additional 6,647 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Waters by 70.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 656,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $236,095,000 after purchasing an additional 271,804 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $355.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. 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. Finally, Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $430.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $384.71.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $409.71 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $388.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $360.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.09, a PEG ratio of 7.45 and a beta of 1.01. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $279.24 and a twelve month high of $423.56.

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.