Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) Position Decreased by Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI lowered its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 106,304 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,297 shares during the quarter. Waters accounts for about 3.2% of Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI owned about 0.18% of Waters worth $39,437,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Waters by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 537 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $199,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Arjuna Capital bought a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter valued at about $447,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in Waters by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 22,041 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $8,177,000 after buying an additional 4,983 shares during the period. Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waters during the fourth quarter valued at $305,000. Finally, E Fund Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Waters by 56.1% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 996 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $369,000 after buying an additional 358 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Stock Up 1.6 %

Waters stock opened at $392.34 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.63, a price-to-earnings-growth 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’s fifty day moving average price is $390.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $368.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WAT shares. Scotiabank raised shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 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 on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Waters from $405.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays raised shares of Waters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $360.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $391.07.

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.