Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd Makes New $141,000 Investment in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 380 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $141,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Waters in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew 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 valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 129.3% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 54.3% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at about $63,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE WAT opened at $365.75 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $21.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.15, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. Waters Co. has a 1 year low of $279.24 and a 1 year high of $423.56. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $390.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $371.28.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WAT. Barclays upgraded Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company 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 for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Scotiabank upgraded Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $391.07.

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.