Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Increases Holdings in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT) by 10.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 95,929 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 9,223 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Waters were worth $35,663,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Waters during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in Waters by 235.7% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Waters by 129.3% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 94 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Waters in the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Waters by 54.3% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company’s stock.

Waters Price Performance

Waters stock opened at $361.61 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $21.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.76, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $387.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $372.60. Waters Co. has a 52 week low of $279.24 and a 52 week high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.08. Waters had a return on equity of 46.31% and a net margin of 21.56%. On average, research analysts forecast that Waters Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WAT shares. StockNews.com lowered Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Waters from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Waters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Waters from $430.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Waters from $380.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.40.

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.