Securian Asset Management Inc. Has $1.17 Million Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,161 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,173,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 235.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 129.3% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 54.3% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Stock Up 3.8 %

NYSE:WAT opened at $378.18 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $279.24 and a twelve month high of $423.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $391.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $370.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com cut Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays upgraded Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $391.07.

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.