Aviva PLC Sells 2,119 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Aviva PLC decreased its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 111,859 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,119 shares during the period. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.19% of Waters worth $41,497,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in Waters by 235.7% in the fourth 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 stake in Waters by 129.3% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 54.3% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays upgraded shares of Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. KeyCorp raised shares of Waters from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $460.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised Waters from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $396.00 to $407.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.31.

Waters Trading Down 6.0 %

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $324.57 on Friday. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $279.24 and a 1-year high of $423.56. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $381.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $373.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.