Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 29,441 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 211 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Waters were worth $10,922,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atomi Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Waters by 40.6% during the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,330 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $494,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Waters by 27.9% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 6,829 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,533,000 after purchasing an additional 1,489 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Waters by 34.8% in the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 964 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in Waters by 28.4% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 362 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $134,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB bought a new position in shares of Waters in the 4th quarter worth $1,649,000. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Up 1.0 %

WAT opened at $412.52 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.36, a PEG ratio of 7.24 and a beta of 1.01. Waters Co. has a one year low of $279.24 and a one year high of $416.24. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $380.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $353.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $740.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $712.99 million. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.84 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 11.79 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on WAT shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Waters from $332.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Waters from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Scotiabank began coverage on Waters in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $430.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $355.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Waters from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $384.71.

Waters 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.