Meridian Wealth Management LLC Acquires 137 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Meridian Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,896 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $3,300,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WAT. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Waters during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at about $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group upped their target price on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $390.40.

Waters Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $371.40 on Tuesday. Waters Co. has a 1 year low of $279.24 and a 1 year high of $423.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $22.07 billion, a PE ratio of 34.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $390.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $367.93.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. On average, research analysts forecast 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.