EFG Asset Management North America Corp. Grows Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

EFG Asset Management North America Corp. boosted its stake in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 37.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,056 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,659 shares during the period. EFG Asset Management North America Corp.’s holdings in Waters were worth $2,244,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Waters by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 3,916 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,409,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its stake in Waters by 2.4% during the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 1,340 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $482,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,349 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,925,000 after purchasing an additional 807 shares during the period. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in shares of Waters by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 31,288 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $11,260,000 after purchasing an additional 1,929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 59.7% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 503 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Down 1.4 %

WAT opened at $368.21 on Wednesday. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $279.24 and a 12-month high of $423.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.88 billion, a PE ratio of 34.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $389.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $372.13.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on WAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Scotiabank raised 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 research report on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $391.07.

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.