Nordea Investment Management AB Has $66.14 Million Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Nordea Investment Management AB decreased its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 13.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 177,495 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 27,015 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in Waters were worth $66,136,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Waters by 48.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,316 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $488,000 after purchasing an additional 427 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Waters by 669.2% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. IMPACTfolio LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth $207,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Waters by 37.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 305,661 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $110,005,000 after buying an additional 82,865 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Waters by 70.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 656,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $236,095,000 after acquiring an additional 271,804 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock opened at $377.41 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 1.01. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $397.02. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $375.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $344.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 2.02.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.25. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The business had revenue of $740.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $712.99 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.84 earnings per share. Waters’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 11.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WAT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Waters in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $430.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $379.71.

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.