Stifel Financial Corp Raises Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 24,179 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,484 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in Waters were worth $8,970,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in Waters by 235.7% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in Waters by 129.3% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 target price on shares of Waters and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $392.13.

Waters Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE:WAT opened at $337.96 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $355.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $370.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $279.24 and a 12-month high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

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.