Prudential PLC Reduces Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Prudential PLC cut its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 26,907 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,121 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $9,982,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. FMR LLC lifted its position in Waters by 1.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 81,653 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,386,000 after purchasing an additional 934 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Waters in the third quarter valued at $229,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Waters by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 2,578 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $928,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in shares of Waters by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,747 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $989,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $256,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Down 6.0 %

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $324.57 on Friday. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.28 billion, a PE ratio of 30.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $381.53 and a 200-day moving average of $373.15.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. On average, analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Waters from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $396.00 to $407.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. KeyCorp upgraded Waters from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $460.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Barclays upgraded Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waters presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.31.

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.