Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Has $15.19 Million Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,950 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 2,894 shares during the period. Waters makes up 0.8% of Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC owned about 0.07% of Waters worth $15,192,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in Waters by 235.7% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 129.3% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Waters by 54.3% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

WAT opened at $362.21 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $21.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.82, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.94. Waters Co. has a fifty-two week low of $279.24 and a fifty-two week high of $423.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $384.62 and a 200 day moving average of $373.38.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. On average, research analysts expect 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 research reports. Baird R W raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $401.31.

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.