Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Grows Stock Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 33,976 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,730 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Waters were worth $12,604,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in 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 lifted its position in Waters by 129.3% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on WAT. Robert W. Baird raised Waters from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $396.00 to $407.00 in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.40.

Waters Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $361.61 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $21.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $387.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $372.29.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released 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 net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.