ING Groep NV Purchases New Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

ING Groep NV bought a new stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,984 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,849,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Waters during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Waters during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $63,000. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $374.24 on Monday. Waters Co. has a twelve month low of $279.24 and a twelve month high of $423.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $22.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.94, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $388.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $366.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share 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, analysts expect that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of several research reports. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America cut 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $390.40.

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.