Heartland Bank & Trust Co Purchases New Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Heartland Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 562 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $208,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 70.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 656,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $236,095,000 after buying an additional 271,804 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in Waters by 34.4% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 393,890 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $141,757,000 after acquiring an additional 100,811 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Waters by 37.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 305,661 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $110,005,000 after acquiring an additional 82,865 shares during the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Waters by 3,627.0% during the 3rd quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 68,987 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $24,828,000 after acquiring an additional 67,136 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Waters by 71.9% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 140,992 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $50,742,000 after purchasing an additional 58,983 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Trading Down 0.4 %

Waters stock opened at $410.95 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $24.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.21, a PEG ratio of 7.17 and a beta of 1.01. Waters Co. has a fifty-two week low of $279.24 and a fifty-two week high of $416.24. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $381.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $354.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 2.02.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.25. Waters had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 21.43%. The firm had revenue of $740.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $712.99 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.84 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 11.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on WAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Waters from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America upped their price target on Waters from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Waters from $363.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Waters from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $430.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $384.71.

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.