Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Increases Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 38,685 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,999 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned approximately 0.07% of Waters worth $14,351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters by 235.7% in the fourth 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. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 129.3% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Waters by 54.3% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Waters stock opened at $355.43 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market cap of $21.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $385.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $373.45. Waters Co. has a 1 year low of $279.24 and a 1 year high of $423.56.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Waters from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $396.00 to $407.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. KeyCorp raised Waters from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $460.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.31.

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.