Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Position Increased by Avantax Advisory Services Inc.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 12.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $413,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 235.7% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position 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 period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Waters by 54.3% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter worth about $63,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of WAT stock opened at $365.75 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. Waters Co. has a 1 year low of $279.24 and a 1 year high of $423.56. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $390.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $371.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted 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 net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WAT. UBS Group upped their target price on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $391.07.

About Waters

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.