Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. Raises Stock Position in Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT)

Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Waters Co. (NYSE:WAT – Get Rating) by 16.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 29,722 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,131 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Waters were worth $10,836,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in Waters by 24.0% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new stake in Waters during the third quarter worth about $56,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. purchased a new stake in Waters during the third quarter worth about $71,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new stake in Waters during the third quarter worth about $71,000. Finally, Evoke Wealth LLC increased its stake in Waters by 2,155.6% during the third quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 203 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.95% of the company’s stock.

Shares of WAT opened at $296.44 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $315.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $334.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.12. The company has a market capitalization of $17.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.89. Waters Co. has a 52-week low of $290.36 and a 52-week high of $428.22.

Waters (NYSE:WAT – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $836.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $820.40 million. Waters had a return on equity of 239.12% and a net margin of 24.87%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.65 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Waters Co. will post 11.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WAT shares. SVB Leerink cut their target price on shares of Waters from $375.00 to $350.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 2nd. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Waters in a research note on Thursday, March 31st. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $369.67.

About Waters (Get Rating)

Waters Corporation, a specialty measurement company, 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.

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