South Dakota Investment Council Has $277,000 Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

South Dakota Investment Council lessened its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 62.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 747 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,238 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Waters were worth $277,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Waters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in Waters by 235.7% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters during the third quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth $63,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Stock Performance

NYSE WAT opened at $379.29 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company has a market capitalization of $22.52 billion, a PE ratio of 35.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.01. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $388.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $366.48.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays raised Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $390.40.

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.