DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main Has $10.59 Million Stock Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 4,099.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,555 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 27,875 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main’s holdings in Waters were worth $10,593,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Waters by 34.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 159,995 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $57,579,000 after purchasing an additional 41,339 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Waters in the third quarter valued at approximately $100,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Waters by 74.5% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 70,507 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,189,000 after acquiring an additional 30,101 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 70.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 656,019 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $236,095,000 after acquiring an additional 271,804 shares during the period. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in Waters by 235.7% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on WAT shares. Barclays lowered their target price on Waters from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. KeyCorp raised Waters from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $460.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 target price on shares of Waters and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $390.19.

Waters Price Performance

NYSE:WAT opened at $343.73 on Friday. Waters Co. has a 12-month low of $279.24 and a 12-month high of $423.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.14. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $349.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $369.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.03. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. The business had revenue of $661.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $655.50 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.21 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

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.