Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Sold by State of Alaska Department of Revenue

State of Alaska Department of Revenue lessened its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 27.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 6,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,590 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,511,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of WAT. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 70.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 656,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $236,095,000 after buying an additional 271,804 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in Waters by 34.4% during the 3rd 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 during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Waters by 37.2% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Waters by 3,627.0% during the 3rd quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 68,987 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $24,828,000 after purchasing an additional 67,136 shares during the period. Finally, Smith Group Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter worth $22,188,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $407.61 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $389.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $363.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $24.20 billion, a PE ratio of 38.89, a P/E/G ratio of 7.37 and a beta of 1.01. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $423.56.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of 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 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Monday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $388.64.

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.