Robeco Schweiz AG Has $68.69 Million Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Robeco Schweiz AG lowered its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 15.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 185,148 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 34,717 shares during the period. Waters makes up 1.5% of Robeco Schweiz AG’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Robeco Schweiz AG owned 0.31% of Waters worth $68,686,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in Waters in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Waters by 235.7% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Waters during the fourth quarter worth $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Performance

WAT opened at $385.54 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $279.24 and a 52-week high of $423.56. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $389.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $366.95. The company has a market cap of $22.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.01.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. 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. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Waters from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $390.40.

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.