UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Acquires 590 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,732 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 590 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,497,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 17.8% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,349 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,925,000 after buying an additional 807 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Waters by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 81,653 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,386,000 after acquiring an additional 934 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $229,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Waters by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 477,144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $171,719,000 after purchasing an additional 17,185 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Counselors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter valued at approximately $267,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of WAT stock opened at $361.61 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $387.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $372.60. The stock has a market cap of $21.48 billion, a PE ratio of 33.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $279.24 and a 12 month high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. On average, equities analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. 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 report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.40.

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.