Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Short Interest Update

Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,620,000 shares, an increase of 24.6% from the February 13th total of 1,300,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 470,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Currently, 2.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Waters Price Performance

WAT stock traded up $3.07 on Tuesday, reaching $381.99. 484,915 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 437,494. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $391.26 and a 200-day moving average of $370.72. Waters has a twelve month low of $279.24 and a twelve month high of $423.56. The firm has a market cap of $22.69 billion, a PE ratio of 35.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Waters

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank upgraded 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 note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays upgraded Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $391.07.

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.