Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Stock Position Lessened by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund reduced its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 58,219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,900 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.10% of Waters worth $21,598,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Waters in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 235.7% in 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 during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter valued at about $63,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. boosted its position in shares of Waters by 63.2% during the 3rd quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 186 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $374.24 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.22 billion, a PE ratio of 34.94, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $388.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $365.60. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. Research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $390.40.

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.