Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Raises Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 421,691 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,801 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned 0.71% of Waters worth $156,439,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WAT. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Waters by 76.0% in the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 2,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $661,000 after purchasing an additional 984 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 69.1% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,012 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,739,000 after purchasing an additional 2,457 shares during the last quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new position in shares of Waters in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,277,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 1.0% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 85,083 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $24,683,000 after acquiring an additional 809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 3.3% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 12,900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,743,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price 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 upped their target price on Waters from $380.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $384.71.

Waters Price Performance

NYSE WAT opened at $413.02 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $24.52 billion, a PE ratio of 39.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.17 and a beta of 1.01. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $419.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $384.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $356.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. Waters had a net margin of 21.43% and a return on equity of 49.93%. The firm had revenue of $740.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $712.99 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.84 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.79 earnings per share for the current year.

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.