Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Bought by OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd

OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd raised its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 90,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,076 shares during the period. Waters accounts for 0.9% of OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd owned approximately 0.15% of Waters worth $33,706,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Waters by 235.7% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Waters by 54.3% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter worth approximately $63,000. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $381.99 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.94. Waters Co. has a 1 year low of $279.24 and a 1 year high of $423.56. The company’s fifty day moving average is $391.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $370.97.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (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, sell-side analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on WAT shares. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays upgraded shares of Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Waters has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $391.07.

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.