AKO Capital LLP Purchases 25,172 Shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

AKO Capital LLP raised its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 815,379 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,172 shares during the period. Waters accounts for about 4.2% of AKO Capital LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. AKO Capital LLP owned 1.37% of Waters worth $302,489,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 106,144.4% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 3,087,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,145,386,000 after buying an additional 3,084,555 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $284,415,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth $104,645,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waters by 70.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 656,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $236,095,000 after purchasing an additional 271,804 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Waters by 7,120.8% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 189,401 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $70,264,000 after buying an additional 186,778 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waters Trading Down 0.3 %

Waters stock opened at $367.40 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $388.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $372.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56. 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 (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS 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%. Research analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded 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. Barclays raised Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $360.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.40.

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.