Avanza Fonder AB Acquires Shares of 4,445 Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

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

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WAT. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Waters by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $431,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 3.8% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 851 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its holdings in Waters by 2.4% in the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 1,340 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $482,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in Waters by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,998 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,439,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its holdings in Waters by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,782 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $403.85 on Friday. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $279.24 and a 1-year high of $411.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.98 billion, a PE ratio of 38.54, a P/E/G ratio of 6.66 and a beta of 1.01. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $378.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $350.18.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Waters had a net margin of 21.43% and a return on equity of 49.93%. The firm had revenue of $740.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $712.99 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.84 EPS. Waters’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 11.79 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on WAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $355.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Waters from $380.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Cfra set a $389.00 price objective on Waters in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $384.71.

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.