Mission Wealth Management LP Reduces Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Mission Wealth Management LP decreased its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,094 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 83 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP’s holdings in Waters were worth $1,148,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 34.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 159,995 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $57,579,000 after purchasing an additional 41,339 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC boosted its position in Waters by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,704 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $632,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Waters by 71.9% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 140,992 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $50,742,000 after buying an additional 58,983 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in 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 buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in Waters by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 421,691 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $156,439,000 after acquiring an additional 27,801 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $371.40 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 firm has a market cap of $22.07 billion, a PE ratio of 34.68, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.01. Waters Co. has a one year low of $279.24 and a one year high of $423.56. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $390.08 and a 200 day moving average of $367.93.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. As a group, research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WAT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com lowered Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $390.40.

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.