Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 135,463 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,675 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.23% of Waters worth $50,254,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. 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. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter valued at $63,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. lifted its position in shares of Waters by 63.2% during the 3rd quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 186 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:WAT opened at $407.61 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market cap of $24.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.89, a P/E/G ratio of 7.37 and a beta of 1.01. Waters Co. has a 1-year low of $279.24 and a 1-year high of $423.56. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $389.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $363.11.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays raised Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday. 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 $380.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Cfra set a $389.00 price target on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $388.64.

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.