Marshall Wace LLP Raises Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 438.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 303,076 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 246,738 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.51% of Waters worth $112,435,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Waters during the third quarter worth about $104,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Waters by 34.8% in 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. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in Waters by 25.2% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,433 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $908,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Waters during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $100,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waters by 0.9% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,998 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,439,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waters Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of WAT opened at $321.34 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $19.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.00, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.04. Waters Co. has a 12 month low of $279.24 and a 12 month high of $423.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $363.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $371.63. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a net margin of 21.56% and a return on equity of 46.31%. Analysts predict that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAT has been the topic of several research reports. Baird R W raised Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Waters from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $400.00 price objective on Waters and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America dropped their target price on Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, KeyCorp raised shares of 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. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $395.38.

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.