EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 54.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $46,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position 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 worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. increased its position in shares of Waters by 63.2% during the third quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 186 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $371.61 on Thursday. 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 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $391.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $370.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays upgraded Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Eleven investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $391.07.

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.