Mizuho Bank Ltd. Buys New Shares in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 180 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $67,000.

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

Waters Price Performance

Shares of WAT opened at $324.57 on Friday. 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 simple moving average of $381.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $373.15. The company has a market capitalization of $19.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America dropped their target price on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.