Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Acquired by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 135,463 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,675 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $50,254,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WAT. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Waters by 70.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 656,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $236,095,000 after buying an additional 271,804 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in Waters by 34.4% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 393,890 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $141,757,000 after purchasing an additional 100,811 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Waters by 37.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 305,661 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $110,005,000 after purchasing an additional 82,865 shares in the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Waters by 3,627.0% in the third quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 68,987 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $24,828,000 after purchasing an additional 67,136 shares during the period. Finally, Smith Group Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $22,188,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $407.61 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $389.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $363.11. The company has a market capitalization of $24.20 billion, a PE ratio of 38.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.37 and a beta of 1.01. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $279.24 and a 12-month high of $423.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on WAT shares. Bank of America increased their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Cfra set a $389.00 target price on Waters in a report on Thursday, October 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded 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. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $388.64.

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.