Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Stock Position Increased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 133,788 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,156 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Waters were worth $48,149,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WAT. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Waters in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Waters by 190.2% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waters by 19,900.0% during the second quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Down 4.8 %

WAT stock opened at $358.46 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $350.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $330.43. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $258.89 and a 52-week high of $393.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.20, a P/E/G ratio of 7.05 and a beta of 0.97.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The company had revenue of $740.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $712.99 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.84 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 11.79 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on WAT. Cfra set a $389.00 target price on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $415.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Waters from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $365.85.

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.