TIAA Trust National Association Has $388,000 Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

TIAA Trust National Association lifted its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,047 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association’s holdings in Waters were worth $388,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 235.7% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Waters by 54.3% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $63,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $361.61 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $21.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.76, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $279.24 and a twelve month high of $423.56. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $387.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $372.29.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com lowered Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $397.40.

About Waters

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.